The Best Laid Plans
by notorrious
Summary: AU/AH. When 17 year old Elena Gilbert dreamed of summer before senior year, she didn't dream of leaving Chicago for Mystic Falls. But it seems the sleepy town has a lot to show her. SE.
1. Chapter One

**The Best Laid Plans**

Summary: AU/AH. When 17 year old Elena Gilbert dreamed of her summer before senior year, she didn't dream of leaving Chicago for Mystic Falls. But it seems the sleepy town has a lot in store for her in the form of two charming brothers.

AN: Hi everyone! This is my first story in a while. It's AU/AH so some of the characters may seem a little OOC. Let me know what you think! Also I've had Elena end school early, before Memorial Day just to fit in with my timeframe. Italics represent Elena's inner-thoughts!

Rating: T (Some language, sex)

Disclaimer: I don't know anything related to The Vampire Diaries or anything else really. But I wish I owned Paul Wesley.

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><p><em>Welcome to Mystic Falls<em>. The sign seemed to taunt the beautiful but angry teenage girl sitting in the front seat of the rental car.

"Remind me why I'm stuck in bumblefuck for the summer?"

"Language Elena. Your mother and I agreed that you need to get out of Chicago for a while."

"You couldn't just send me to camp or Europe like a normal parent?"

"Well normal parents don't have to deal with coming home at two in the morning to a trashed house and cops and firefighters surrounding their teenage daughter."

Elena sighed. She knew she screwed up. Maybe having a huge party to celebrate the summer before senior year wasn't the best idea. But her dad seemed to think that spending the summer with Uncle Grayson, Aunt Miranda and cousin Jeremy would properly punish the 17 year old for her actions. To Elena, spending the summer in the sleepy town of Mystic Falls wasn't exactly what she pictured when she thought of her summer. She was supposed to go shopping in the city with her friends, visit colleges with her parents and vacation with her boyfriend. Instead she was stuck in rural Virginia to waste away her summer.

"I don't understand why I just couldn't have been grounded like a normal teenager," grumbled Elena.

"Enough Elena, stop the attitude. My brother and Miranda have graciously offered to have you for the summer and you better act thankful. It was this or military boot camp. Your mother and I need this time to remodel the house and figure out another punishment. Speaking of, how would you feel without a cell phone?"

Elena may have forgotten to mention that the house was destroyed...an entire wing of the vast mansion had to be torn down due to extensive water damage from a fire sparked from a forgotten cigarette. Fortunately, since her father was a high priced attorney, she was not charged with anything serious. "Dad you cannot be serious? I need my phone if I'm stuck here."

"You'll have it for now. Remember Elena, if you disobey Grayson and Miranda, I will not hesitate to leave you here for your senior year. Their house, their rules and I expect you to listen to them."

Elena paled at the thought. _Stuck here for senior year?_ Without her best friends...or boyfriend. Before Elena thought too much about staying in Mystic Falls for more than her summer, her father spoke again.

"Elena, you know we love you. But we simply cannot let you stay in Chicago for the summer...you need to get out of the city and accept the consequences of your actions. You're lucky we can afford to fix the house and bail you out. Besides, it's only for three months, your mom and I will be back to pick you up before you know it."

As much as her father, John, did not want to subject Elena to the boring life of his hometown, he knew that she needed to be taught a lesson. He and his wife, Isobel, agreed that the best place for Elena to go to get away from certain influences, like her scumbag boyfriend and friends, was in the quiet, historic town of Mystic Falls, Virginia. To be honest, John almost felt bad for Elena...until he remembered how expensive the renovations to their home was costing him and his wife.

Sighing, Elena watched as her dad navigated through the small town until they arrived at the Gilbert's. The average sized white farmhouse seemed to agree with the town's atmosphere...boring. Just then, a middle aged man walked out of the door. Uncle Grayson.

"Just to let you know, I hate you."

"Love you too, kiddo. C'mon let's get your bags."

Elena forced herself to put on a happy face and to try not to look miserable in front of Uncle Grayson. _It's better here than bootcamp_.

"Elena! My goodness you've grown so much since we've seen you. Beautiful, just like your mother." At the mention of her mother, Grayson looked around for Isobel but found her to be missing. "Now where is my beautiful sister-in-law?"

"It's the start of summer classes at Northwestern." Isobel Gilbert was the head of the History Department at Northwestern, the youngest Department Chair in the history of the school and as Elena thought, more dedicated to her job than to her family. Isobel didn't even come to the airport to send them off, instead shooting Elena a text wishing her a safe flight.

"Ah, hardworking that woman is. Nonetheless, we are very happy to have you here for the summer Elena. I believe you'll come to love Mystic Falls."

"Thanks Uncle Gray, but I don't think that's remotely possible," replied Elena, not trying to hide her obvious disdain for her summer vacation from hell.

Grayson played off her disdain and joked, "Just like her father, too wrapped up in the city to enjoy small town life."

"Ha-ha, Gray. Can we get inside? Elena has an overpacking problem." An overpacking problem was an understatement as her father and uncle struggled to carry her numerous suitcases and duffel bags into the house. _This is going to be a long summer. _Elena glanced around as if she was saying goodbye to her freedom before she trudged up the porch stairs.

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><p>Elena plopped down on the guest room bed, exhausted from the flight. Surprisingly, saying goodbye to her dad hadn't been too difficult. When Elena was younger, she was the definition of a Daddy's Girl, and even at seventeen, her relationship with her father was still strong. But all Elena wanted to do now was take a nap and wake up back in Chicago, back with her friends.<p>

Before she had the chance to close her eyes, their was a knock on the bedroom door.

"Come in." The door opened to reveal her Aunt Miranda with extra pillows and blankets.

"I just thought you could use some extra things, is there anything else you need?"

_Oh you know, just to get out of this hellhole_, Elena thought. As much as she wanted to leave, she knew she was stuck. Regardless of her unfortunate situation, she felt no need to be mean to Miranda or Grayson...since her arrival hours earlier, they had been nothing but welcoming and kind to her.

"I'm good, thanks. I've already unpacked and everything, I'm just ready to go to sleep."

"Ah, yes well I'll leave you be." Miranda walked back towards the door, turning around at the last second. "Before I go, there is a festival in town tomorrow. It's a Founders' Council event celebrating Memorial Day, the entire town goes. It should be fun."

Elena couldn't bring herself to say no to her smiling aunt, "Yeah, I'll be there."

"Great! I'm sure you'll be able to make some friends. Also, your father wants you to get a job here. The Mystic Grill is hiring for new waitresses, you should look into it." With the closing thought of a job, Miranda left her niece to her thoughts.

_A Founders' Council? Where am I? Stuck in the 1800s? Even worse, a waitressing job..._

The sound of her phone vibrating on the bedside table broke her out of her reverie. Elena smiled when she saw her boyfriend's name flashing across the screen of her iPhone.

"Liam! You don't know how happy I am to hear your voice. I already want to go home. My Aunt and Uncle are nice but they're making me get a job, I just want to be in Chicago."

"Listen, E...that's what I wanted to talk to you about. I'm sorry but I don't think this whole long distance thing is going to work..."

Elena was flabbergasted, things between her and Liam seemed to be perfect. "Excuse me?"

"It's not that I don't like you E...I just can't deal with not having you here."

"I'm only gone for three months Liam! Not two years. Besides I'm in Virginia, not California."

"I know and I'm sor-"

Growing frustrated at her stupid boyfriend, ex-boyfriend now, Elena snapped. "Sorry my ass, you could have done this before I left...oh wait you probably just wanted to get me in bed one last time before you broke up with me on the phone like a coward. Fuck you, Liam. Go hit up Lauren, I'm sure she'd love to be your rebound. Asshole." With a defeated sigh, Elena hung up the phone and waited for the silent tears to lull her to sleep.

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><p>When Elena woke to the smell of pancakes and bacon, she almost wanted to run down the stairs. With her parents busy with work, they did not cook...hell they barely ate as a family anymore. The only time they seemed to get together was when Liam was over. <em>Well I guess we won't be eating as a family when I get back<em>.Shaking the thoughts of her parents and Liam from her head, Elena lightly padded down the stairs to find her aunt, uncle and cousin surrounding the dining room table. Quickly, Elena sat down and dug into the best breakfast she ever had. _This is one thing I could definitely get used to_.

After eating, Miranda quickly told Elena to get ready as they were leaving for the festival in an hour. In a flash, Elena had showered and picked out her outfit. While Elena did not care about meeting the townsfolk, she did want to make a good impression. _Maybe if I'm on my best behavior, I can go back to Chicago early_.Elena grabbed simple denim shorts paired with a white tank-top and a black cardigan. After finishing her make-up and putting on acessories, Elena threw on wedges and headed out of the door.

When they arrived in town, Elena was surprised at how many people were out. _I guess Aunt Miranda was right, apparently Founders' events are the only thing going on in this godforsaken town_. After noting the multiple people dressed in strange costumes, Elena told her Aunt and Uncle she wanted to walk around and explore, but she simply wanted to get away from the crazy of Mystic Falls.

Somehow Elena ended up at the edge of town and it was then that she realized she was lost. _Just great_. Reaching for her phone, she realized she had no signal_. Looks like I'm walking back into town_. Elena turned around and started her trek back to town square when a car stopped alongside her.

"Hey, do you need a ride?" The car revealed a blonde girl behind the wheel, along with a light-skinned girl with brown hair in the passengers seat, both appearing to be teenagers.

As much as Elena's feet seemed to scream yes, Elena knew she probably shouldn't get in a car with strangers. "No, I'm alright. I can walk from here."

The blonde spoke again, "It's not a problem. We're headed into town too...besides you look a little lost."

Elena laughed, "That easy to tell?"

"Mystic Falls is a small-town. We know everyone. C'mon hop in."

Washing away her doubt, Elena slid in the backseat when the blonde spoke again.

"I'm Caroline Forbes by the way," Caroline then motioned to the girl sitting next to her

"And this is Bonnie Bennett."

"Hi, I'm Elena. Thanks for the ride, my feet are killing me."

"Oh it's alright, your wedges are totally killer." Elena smiled at the compliment from Bonnie and relaxed more into the seat.

"So what brings you to Mystic Falls Elena?" Bonnie lightly smacked Caroline on the arm.

"I'm sorry, she has a problem. Way too nosy."

Elena laughed, "It's alright, I'm staying for the summer with my Aunt and Uncle." Elena did not want to go into detail about her troubles with people she had only just met.

"Oh, who?" _Bonnie was right, Caroline is nosy_.

"Grayson and Miranda Gilbert." At the mention of their names, Caroline's ears seemed to perk right up.

"Oh right, the Gilbert's, one of the Founding Families."

"Founding Families?" Though her Aunt Miranda mentioned the Founders' Council, Elena had not heard of the term 'Founding Families.'

"One of the families that helped found Mystic Falls in the 1800s, duh!"

"I honestly had no idea...my Dad never really talks about Mystic Falls." It was true, John never mentioned home other than it was rough after his parents died. He got his girlfriend pregnant when she was sixteen and he was eighteen, had a shotgun wedding and had Elena. Her parents moved to Chicago to start a new life and rarely talked about their time in Mystic Falls.

"Oh well, you're a Gilbert. In this town, being a Founding family is something to be proud of. But we're here!" Caroline parked the car and the three girls jumped out.

"Well, thanks for the ride. It was nice to meet you both." Elena turned to walk away and find her aunt and uncle until Bonnie called after her.

"Wait! If you're not doing anything you should hang out with us, we can introduce you to everyone." Elena ran over the scenario in her head..._There's no point of making friends, I'm just going to leave in a few months anyway. _But she couldn't exactly say no, not when Caroline and Bonnie helped her out.

Caroline saw the apprehension on Elena's face, "C'mon, you can meet the boys. Just not Tyler, he's mine." Elena giggled at Caroline's possessiveness and followed the two girls into the town square.

As Elena followed Caroline and Bonnie, she quickly got distracted by the extravagant decorations and costumes...she could only imagine what other holidays and town events looked like. _Probably like a party store threw up everywhere_. Elena's thoughts about the town were interrupted by her walking straight into a strong chest. Finding her balance, Elena glanced up and found herself captivated by the man she clumsily ran into. Elena would have kept staring but the mysterious stranger spoke up.

"My apologies, it looks like I got distracted."

"No, it's totally my fault, I wasn't looking at where I was going."

"It's alright, without it we wouldn't have met."

Elena blushed at the man's forwardness, but wanted to appear strong and confident "It's your lucky day I guess"

"Oh it definitely is."

"I'm Elena, and you are?"

"Nice to meet you Elena, my name is Stefan Salvatore."

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><p>AN: So...what do you think? Should I continue? Review and let me know!<p> 


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

**The Best Laid Plans**

Summary: AU/AH. When 17 year old Elena Gilbert dreamed of her summer before senior year, she didn't dream of leaving Chicago for Mystic Falls. But it seems the sleepy town has a lot in store for her in the form of two charming brothers.

Rating: T

AN: Thank you everyone for your reviews! They really inspire me to continue writing. I'm not sure where exactly I want to take this in terms of its plot so if anyone has any suggestions or ideas definitely let me know! I'm not sure what secondary pairings I want to include either so if you have any ideas, tell me in a review. It's a little shorter than my first chapter but I'm just trying to figure out where this is going. So please don't forget to review!

Disclaimer: I don't know anything Vampire Diaries related. But if I did, I'd tell Ian Somerhalder to get a haircut...I like the Boone look :)

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><p>To say that Stefan Salvatore was captivating was a severe understatement. Soon after Elena was introduced to the mysterious boy, Caroline and Bonnie dragged her off to meet some of their other friends. Elena gave Stefan a helpless look as she soon took off to another part of town with her new friends. At the Mystic Grill, Elena met Tyler Lockwood, Caroline's boyfriend who seemed like a typical jock and his sweet All-American boy best friend Matt Donovan. But as soon as she was invited out to a bonfire in the woods, her Aunt Miranda came in and told her they were leaving, with a look on her face that there was no negotiations about going out. <em>There goes any chance of fun this summer<em>. Her Aunt so lovingly introduced her to the owner, Scott who hired her on the spot and told her to come in to train on Monday. Fortunately for Elena's social life, she, Caroline and Bonnie exchanged numbers and promised to text her tomorrow to get together and show her all that Mystic Falls had to offer...which didn't sound like too much.

As Elena laid in bed and wrote in her journal, she remembered Stefan's captivating green eyes and chiseled face. He was gorgeous. _Tall, dark and HOTsome_. Trying to shake the thoughts of Stefan from her head was easier said than done. Regardless of the fact that Elena had only talked to him for a few minutes, she felt a spark, something that she hadn't felt with any guy back home in Chicago. _He's different...I can feel it._ The thoughts of her new crush soon lulled Elena to a peaceful sleep.

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><p>The incessant buzzing of Elena's phone woke her from her deep slumber. Glancing at the clock, she realized it was early afternoon and was surprised Uncle Grayson and Aunt Miranda let her sleep so late...until she remembered that they were going to the lakehouse for the day, leaving Elena all by herself. The buzzing broke Elena out of her trance as she glanced at the phone and realized Caroline was calling.<p>

"Hello?"

"Elena! Hi, it's Caroline, but I'm sure you know that since you have caller ID. Anyway, Tyler's having people over down at the swimming hole by his house and you should definitely come with us! It's the first one of the summer and there so fun. There will be music and alcohol and swimming I guess but I don't even like the water so I usually just get drunk and dance and probably will make out with Tyler, hope that's not a problem! Everyone from Mystic Falls High is going to be there so you can meet everyone...well only the people I like anyway. But please come! You didn't go last night so you have to go, pretty please? You need to get out and have fun!"

Caroline's rambling had Elena laughing at her new friend, _I guess she is slightly neurotic_. But Caroline was right, she needed to go out and let loose.

"Well, my Aunt and Uncle are out...so of course! But I'd need a ride." Miranda and Grayson had said nothing about borrowing a car so Elena figured it would be wise to wait and ask in person. _Shouldn't start the summer with a grand theft auto charge. _

"YAY I'm so excited! Your first Mystic party, we'll make it amazing just for you, I promise. But oh don't worry, I have that all taken care of! He'll be there in twenty." Elena paled and glanced at her bed head in the mirror, _he? That doesn't mean Stefan does it...oh god, I'll need more than twenty minutes_.

"He?"

"It's a surprise, you'll love it...trust me. Make sure to look hot! See ya soon!" Before Elena could throw in another word, Caroline hung up the phone. _Great. _Elena jumped out of bed and opened her closet, trying to find a suitable outfit. _What does one wear to an afternoon at the swimming hole? _In Chicago, there weren't swimming holes or lakes, there were country clubs and said country clubs were a fashion show. _Somehow I don't think I'll need my Pucci bathing suit in Mystic Falls._ After much deliberation, Elena chose a white bandeau bathing suit top with a blue and gold anchor and matching yellow bottoms, she threw on denim shorts and a baby blue tank top while throwing a change of clothes in her bag. Just as Elena ran a comb through her hair and put on some lip gloss, there was a knock at the door. _Perfect. _

Elena skipped down the stairs and swung open the door, excited to see Stefan. But to her surprise, there was another face staring back at her.

"Matt?"

The blonde haired, blue eyed boy smiled sheepishly back at her, noting her obvious surprise. "Uh hey Elena, Caroline said you needed a ride so here I am."

Removing any trace of disappointment from her face, Elena quickly replied "I do, I have no idea where anything is...nor do I have a car, so thanks." _Caroline lied, I don't exactly love it...but at least it's someone sweet. _Matt motioned to move to his truck and Elena followed, thanking him as he opened the passenger door for her.

"Good to know that chivalry is not dead."

"Well, Mystic Falls is different from Chicago."

_That's a serious understatement_.

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><p>By the time they arrived to the Lockwood property, it looked like the party was in full swing. Elena exited Matt's truck and thanked him for the ride before she was off to find Caroline and Bonnie. <em>Maybe Mystic Falls will surprise me.<em>

It didn't take her very long, she spotted Caroline and Tyler engaging in some serious, possibly drunk PDA, while Bonnie stood and talked to a raven haired man clad in a leather jacket. _It's a little hot for leather...people here are weird_. Elena made the obvious decision to bypass the couple and talk to Bonnie.

"Hey Bonnie."

When Bonnie spotted the voice, she squealed and scurried over to Elena, quickly throwing her arms around her. Elena smelt the obvious liquor on Bonnie's breath. _Someone's just a little intoxicated_. "ELENA! I'm soooo happy you made it! It's your first Mystic Falls' party! Now you need a drink to celebrate!" Ignoring her companion in the leather, Bonnie yanked Elena towards the makeshift bar in the back of a truck.

Deciding on her personal favorite, Elena quickly took a few shots of tequila, impressing her new friend. "What can I say? I may have had a slight party problem back in Chicago." It was true, Elena could almost unhinge her jaw to throw back shot after shot. But before she could get drunk, she felt a presence behind her. Turning around, she found herself hitting someone's chest.

Elena looked up and found herself once again mesmerized by green eyes. "This is the second time you've ran into me Ms. Gilbert."

Finding her ability to speak, Elena replied "Well I guess you're still pretty lucky then." Trying to hide the blush on her cheeks, Elena downed another shot. _I'm just gonna blame the redness on the alcohol_, _not nervousness at the gorgeous man next to me._

Stefan's eyes seemed to bulge as Elena swiftly swallowed her Jose Cuervo. "A girl who can take her liquor. I'm surprised and slightly impressed. Most girls here only wine coolers."

Raising an eyebrow, Elena felt confident that she wasn't like any other girl at Mystic Falls. She was different and apparently to Stefan, it was a good thing, or at least intriguing. "Oh Mr. Salvatore, I guess there's a lot about me you'd be surprised about."

"Well Miss Gilbert, I'd love to find out. Would you like to take a walk with me?" Surprised at his forward invitation, Elena nodded and fell into pace with Stefan as they entered deeper into the woods.

Taking initiative, Elena decided to break the comfortable silence by asking Stefan about himself. Besides she wanted to avoid her nervous rambling, a trait she only expressed when slightly tipsy. Stefan motioned for her to sit on a fallen log while Elena began to speak, "So Stefan, tell me about yourself."

"I'd rather here more about you. You know, the basics; where you're from, any siblings, favorite color, hobbies, future plans."

Elena composed herself and started talking about her life and what she wanted to do with it. "Um, well I was born and raised in Chicago, I'm an only child from a 'surprise' pregnancy, my favorite color is purple, I love reading, I want to go to the University of Virginia and eventually I want to become a writer. I can't imagine living anywhere but Chicago and I'm not sure if I want a family."

Stefan smiled at her simple response, but he wanted to know more.

"So why are you in Mystic Falls for the summer?"

Elena cringed, not wanting to share her screw-ups with Stefan. The observant man he is, Stefan noticed her frown. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"No, no, it's not that. I just really messed up and it's embarrassing...and makes me look less than stellar."

Stefan smiled at the beautiful girl sitting next to him, "I don't think that's remotely possible."

Elena hid her grin at his compliment, but still felt uneasy about sharing her disastrous story with him just yet. _I don't want the first guy I've met here to go running for the hills after he hears about my rebellious streak_.Besides, she had not even told Caroline or Bonnie the truth...nor did she know anything about Stefan other than his name.

"Maybe some other time, but I do want to know something about the person I decided to walk with. I'm really hoping you're not a serial killer. I mean you are very mysterious."

Stefan laughed and Elena smiled, feeling accomplished at making him laugh, something she felt was not a particularly easy task to do. "I'm not a serial killer I assure you. Mystic Falls is my home, been here since forever. It's just me and my older brother, my favorite color is green, F. Scott Fitzgerald's _The Great Gatsby_ is my favorite book of all time, I want to go to Harvard, Pre-Med and eventually become a neurosurgeon. But someday I want to settle down and have a family here in Mystic Falls."

Elena was impressed, Stefan was smart, which was a lot more than she could say about her last boyfriend_._ Stefan had dreams and goals, a life plan, something Liam did not. _Liam couldn't plan out what he was doing for the weekend, let alone the rest of his life. _"I must say, I am impressed. A Harvard man, I don't know very many guys up to the challenge to work that hard in high school...wait, you're a total nerd aren't you?" Elena said with a smirk.

Stefan grinned, "You caught me. I like learning and love reading. Don't tell my brother though, it would totally ruin the badass Salvatore image." Elena found herself captivated by Stefan's laughter, it was infectious. As their banter wore down, Elena couldn't seem to break her gaze away from Stefan's enchanting eyes. She could feel him moving closer towards her, not wanting to exhale in fear she'd ruin the moment. Just as she closed her eyes and leaned in, their moment was interrupted by the ringing of Stefan's phone. The shrill sound broke Elena out of her Stefan induced stupor and she suddenly found the broken branches on the forest floor much more interesting than whatever Stefan was doing.

"Elena?" Snapping her head to the voice, Elena realized she must have zoned out as she didn't hear Stefan speak at all.

"Sorry, I got lost in my own world." Deciding to be nosy, she asked "Who was that on the phone?"

Stefan had a stern look on his face, obviously upset at something but trying to remain calm for her sake. "Just my brother. Listen I have to go, there's something I have to do. I'm sorry. I'll walk you back to the swimming hole."

Elena grew confused. _Where is he running off to? Why is he mad? Why can't he tell me? Why do I care so much? _Elena pushed her numerous questions to the back of her mind and plastered a smile on, "Thanks, that would be great."

Their walk back to the swimming hole was in complete silence. Stefan walked a safe distance away from her and seemed to want to avoid all conversation. Elena drowned in her thoughts and curiosities of what exactly Stefan was hiding but before she knew it, she was back with everyone. She turned around to thank Stefan for the walk, but he was no where to be found.

_What happened? _

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><p>AN: I hope Elena doesn't sound too cynical during her own thoughts, she's not so miserable anymore. Make sure to review (and please leave suggestions!)<p> 


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

**The Best Laid Plans**

Summary: AU/AH. When 17 year old Elena Gilbert dreamed of her summer before senior year, she didn't dream of leaving Chicago for Mystic Falls. But it seems the sleepy town has a lot in store for her in the form of two charming brothers.

Rating: T

AN: SO SORRY I HAVEN'T UPDATED. Two computers and a phone broke on me within the last week and I've been having a ton of important exams for major classes so I've just been swamped. And I've had a hard time focusing on finishing this chapter...too obsessed with obsessing over Stelena and how they need to get back together.

Anyway, thank you for your reviews! I would love to get more for each chapter (wink wink) but really, they really inspire me to continue writing. Also I finally figured out a general plot, woohoo! At this rate, the story will probably go for about 15 total chapters. Enjoy the update and remember to review!

Disclaimer: I don't know anything Vampire Diaries related...I just wish Paul Wesley had been my valentine.

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><p>Elena did not understand Stefan Salvatore. It had been three days since Tyler's party and her almost kiss with Stefan. Three whole days of zero contact. Elena wasn't old fashioned; she didn't think that there was a three day wait to call, or that the boy had to call first. She simply did not know what to say...and she didn't even have Stefan's phone number. But Elena Faith Gilbert did not want to be the type of girl who sat around and cried over a boy, especially over a boy she barely knew. Instead, Elena busied herself as the Mystic Grill's newest waitress. Her boss, Lexi, showed her the ropes of waitressing; how to be polite, abbreviations, how to take plates away and put them on the table and everything else. It was quite boring but Elena quickly caught on. Waitressing wasn't exactly the way Elena wanted to spend her summer (not that she wanted to be in Mystic Falls at all) but it was better than helping Miranda with Founders' Council events. Plus Matt worked as a busboy and it was nice to have a friend, a familiar face, to talk to during her breaks.<p>

Elena cleaned up after one of her last tables. It was after the lunch rush and she was dying to go to home and take a long, hot shower. _I feel disgusting. Ew._ As she raised her head, she noticed Stefan walking towards her. _Oh no. _Elena swiftly grabbed her tray and walked towards the back, not in the mood to deal with whatever apology seconds away from coming out of Stefan's mouth. So obviously, hiding out in the storeroom seemed like the best place to avoid her crush. Suddenly Lexi strutted into the storeroom with a devilish grin on her face.

"Elena, there is a very sexy 17 year old boy asking for you at the bar."

"First of all, sexy, I think he's a little young for you. Secondly, I know."

Ignoring her first comment, Lexi continued "You know? And why are you still in here?"

"Because I don't want to talk to him." Elena was being petty and she knew it. Stefan really hadn't done anything to her, but Elena couldn't mask her disappointment at his lack of contact- and his disappearing act.

"Elena! Go out there right now. Stefan's a good guy."

"Wait, you know Stefan?"

"May or may not have dated his brother, regardless I got to know him and he's one of the good ones. Give him a chance, he may just surprise you."

"I'm not sure..." Elena voiced her apprehension but Lexi was hearing none of it as she shoved Elena out the door.

Elena stumbled out of the swinging doors, grasping onto the countertop for balance. She glanced around until her eyes settled on the brooding boy at the bar, staring at his drink. _I guess Lexi serves minors...I'll keep that in mind_. Taking initiative and a deep breath, Elena walked over. Stefan immediately noticed as Elena placed herself nervously on the other side of the bar. _Keep it together Elena, don't show you're nervous...that he makes you nervous_.

"Hi."

"Hi." There was an awkward pause as neither of them knew what to say. Elena took the initiative and blurted out her thoughts, "So, why are you here Stefan?"

"I thought we could talk."

"Okay, so talk."

"Not here."

"Then where?"

"Go somewhere with me."

"I can't, I'm working." That was only partly true as she glanced around, other than Stefan there was only an elderly couple still at the Grill. Before Stefan could respond, there was a familiar voice coming from the storeroom.

"NO YOU'RE DONE. OFFICIALLY OFF THE CLOCK." Elena deducted that Lexi had been eavesdropping. _Why am I not surprised? _

"Perfect. Come with me. Just for the day, just give me the day."

Elena stalled. She wasn't sure if she could trust Stefan, yes he was sweet and kind, not to mention drop dead gorgeous, but there were already communication problems and nothing even happened yet.

Sensing her apprehension, Stefan took her hand in his own and looked in her deep, brown eyes. "Elena, you can trust me. Please come with me. It will be worth it, I promise." Flashing her a smile, Elena could only nod as she was captivated by his dazzling smile.

"Great, follow me."

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><p>After a quick stop at the Gilbert's to shower and change, Elena and Stefan were driving down the road to what Stefan said was a surprise.<p>

"Just to let you know, I hate surprises."

"You'll like this one, trust me." The rest of their drive was in comfortable silence as Elena looked at the landscape around her. It was nothing like Chicago and for once, Elena was okay with that.

Elena jolted out of her thoughts as the car came to a slow halt on a grassy hill. Ever the gentleman, Stefan walked over and opened her door.

"I've never had a boy open a car door for me before. Good to know that chivalry is not dead."

"Well I guess you've never met a Southern gentleman."

"I guess not. Now where are we going?"

"Just follow me." Stefan tentatively reached for Elena's hand and took it as he guided them on a path through the forest. Before Elena knew it, she was staring at a waterfall.

"It's beautiful."

"And we're not even done yet."

"We're not? How much longer?"

"Patience is a virtue Miss Gilbert."

"Well Mr. Salvatore, you can at least humor me. Tell me something."

"Something?"

"Anything. Everything."

So Stefan talked. The once mysterious stranger was no longer either since he spilled out random facts to Elena. He played football for the Mystic Falls Timberwolves and was going to be a captain along with Matt and Tyler for their senior season. Stefan fluently spoke Italian when his mother taught him when he was a child but he'd only been to Italy once and he barely remembers. His Uncle Zach ran the family business in New York and for a while growing up, he lived in the Big Apple.

By the time Stefan had finished telling Elena part of his life story, she realized that they ended up at the top of a beautiful hill, looking out on the valley below.

"It's gorgeous. Breathtaking."

"I was thinking the same thing." Stefan's soft tone made Elena realize he wasn't talking about the scenery below, but her. Blushing at the thought, Elena asked "So, why did you bring me here Stefan?"

"I wanted to tell you why I ran out on you and why I've been M.I.A. the past couple of days."

"Right. That."

Stefan sensed Elena's disappointment and continued to explain. "My brother and I used to be the best of friends. It didn't matter that he was five years older, we were inseparable. Until my father died. We lost our mother when we were both still young, but when we lost our mother, we lost our father too. He put Zach in charge of the business, moved Damon and I down here for good and became a totally different person. All of a sudden, my father groomed Damon to be the Salvatore heir he was supposed to be. He was shipped off to military school and after that, he was a different person. But once our father died, Damon spiraled out of control. Chasing women, drinking all day. I got a call from home of the local bartenders that Damon wanted to fight his old high school rival, a fight he would definitely lose, so I had to go pick him up."

Elena was shocked, Stefan seemed to have it all but with his admission of his dark family history, she felt terrible for being so upset over Stefan leaving while he was trying to help out his brother, someone who's issues were more intense than her own.

"I'm so sorry Stefan. If I had any idea, I wouldn't have been so-"

"Elena, it's not your fault. It's why I brought you here. I thought I owed you an explanation."

"Thank you Stefan. Really. It means a lot." It surprised Elena how much she cared about Stefan reaching out and sharing something so private, so personal. It implored Elena to do the same; to tell him why she ended up in Mystic Falls for the summer...the entire story.

"When I was 14, a freshman in high school, I got involved with a junior. Badass jock who I thought I was in love with. Cole. He introduced me to parties and alcohol and drugs and all of the bad stuff. I still did great in school to please my parents, but on the weekends I was a totally different person. I was blind, he treated me like shit and it only made me love him more. I lost all of my close friends and was only close to Cole's friends. It lasted until the beginning of my junior year when Cole, who went to Michigan, broke up with me the week he got there. I was devastated. I deteriorated, I started getting so drunk on the weekends that I blacked out every night and couldn't remember how I got home, I did drugs just to numb the pain. I even got a new boyfriend, just so I didn't feel so alone. It all came crashing down on the last day of school. My parents went away and I decided to throw the party of the year- a kickoff to my summer. I got so wasted, I stumbled around my house filled with more than a hundred people. So drunk that I didn't even know someone's trashed cigarette started a fire in one of the wings until everyone fled, even my boyfriend- who is a huge douche. I was left alone, drunk out of my mind talking to the Fire Department and the Police until my parents showed up. It was an accident, and I probably would have been charged with something but my parent's lawyers made sure nothing happened. But my parents decided to send me here as my punishment, the entire wing had to be torn down there was so much damage so they had to do something. So here I am, Elena Gilbert, the fuck-up in Mystic Falls for the summer, trying to learn a lesson."

"Elena, you're not a fuck-up. You've just made some bad choices."

While Stefan's words were comforting, Elena knew she screwed up. "A lot of bad choices. I used to be such a good kid, you know? A complete Daddy's Girl but then Cole came and I changed. From a sweet girl to the girl who couldn't function without getting so hammered every weekend." Elena cried, this was the first time she admitted out loud that all she had been doing for the last three years was messing up her life and making the worst choices. Worst of all, Elena was crying in front of someone she barely knew. _Nice job, Stefan's about to run for the hills_.

Completely surprising her, Stefan pulled Elena into a tight hug and whispered into her ear. "Elena, you are not that person. The girl I know, is sweet and caring, even with people she just met. She took a chance on a boy even though he royally screwed up. She ended up in a small, sleepy town that has the potential to change her life."

Elena lifted her head from Stefan's chest and calmed her tears, smiling a little at his sweetness. "I'm glad I'm here." Elena truly was happy, happy in Stefan's arms.

Stefan smiled down at her and whispered, "I'm glad you're here too."

Elena realized their closeness, staring into each others eyes. Stefan lean down and Elena's eyes fluttered closed as his lips touched hers. She only had one word to describe the kiss. _Perfect_.

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><p>AN: And there we go! I hope you all enjoyed it and don't forget to review! If you have any questions, respond un-anonymously so I can message you back! :)<p> 


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

**The Best Laid Plans**

Summary: AU/AH. When 17 year old Elena Gilbert dreamed of her summer before senior year, she didn't dream of leaving Chicago for Mystic Falls. But it seems the sleepy town has a lot in store for her in the form of two charming brothers.

Rating: T

AN: I suck. I've been really busy with exams and so much school stuff but I've been writing a little so I'm trying! Anyway my apologies and I hope you enjoy this update! Make sure to review, reviews keep me inspired to continue this story.

Disclaimer: If I owned The Vampire Diaries, Torrey DeVitto would not be around at all. Sorry I'm not sorry.

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><p>When Elena Gilbert awoke the next morning, she felt truly happy to be in boring, old Mystic Falls. Simply because she had something new, someone new, to be happy about. After a few heated kisses, Elena reluctantly had Stefan take her home, saying that Miranda and Grayson were probably going to send out a search party if she didn't walk through the door within the next hour. The perfect gentleman, Stefan walked her to the door and asked her on a proper date for the following evening. Luckily, Elena did not have work so she readily agreed to spend more time with Stefan.<p>

Smiling into her pillow, Elena heard a soft knock at her bedroom door. "Come in," Elena replied as she sat up and laughed as the door revealed an energetic and smiling Caroline and Bonnie behind it.

Jumping on the bed, Caroline squealed. "DETAILS PLEASE. Everyone is buzzing that Stefan stole you away from the Grill and took you on a romantic date to Richmond. Please tell me the rumors are true."

Elena giggled at her friend's forwardness but shook her head. "Stefan came into work to talk...and we went and talked."

"Just talked? Elena, we're your friends! You're supposed to share the smut."

"There was no smut Ms. Forbes. He took me to this beautiful hilltop and told me why he hasn't been around and it was great...and we kissed." Caroline screamed at the revelation. _Well if Jeremy wasn't awake before, he is now_.

Bonnie interjected Caroline's mini-freak out, "How was it? I hear Mr. Salvatore is a great kisser."

"Honestly...it was perfect. I told him about my life in Chicago and he really listened, you know? Didn't judge me and wasn't disappointed in me. He just gets me." Elena could feel herself smiling just talking about how great Stefan had been.

The smirk on Caroline's face only seemed to grow at Elena's response. "Ohmigod! You're already falling for him!" Bonnie nodded her head, happily agreeing that Elena Gilbert was falling for the attractive Stefan Salvatore.

"It's too soon to tell. We haven't even been on a real date yet...but we are tonight so help me get ready?" Before Elena could even finish talking, Caroline had already risen from the bed, dragging Elena with her.

"Get in the shower, we have a long day ahead of us."

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><p>After a full day of pampering, courtesy of Sheriff Forbes' credit card, Elena felt relaxed. A haircut, massage and a manipedi was the exact thing she needed to take her mind off of her nerves. Cole and Liam weren't exactly the wine and dine types. Elena looked forward towards something different. Something that didn't remind her of Chicago and her ex-boyfriends.

Elena sat at her vanity, putting the finishing touches on her make-up. Stefan didn't exactly share what their date entailed so Elena decided to play it safe and simple in a white sundress with gold sandals that Caroline said was perfect for a first date. Just as she applied the last of her lip gloss, she heard the doorbell ring. Quickly yelling that she got it, Elena ran down the stairs to greet her guest.

Swinging open the door, Elena saw Stefan holding a bouquet of fresh daisies, her favorite. She smiled just at the thought that he knew her favorite flower already, something neither of her exes cared to find out.

"Hi."

"Hi. These are for you," Stefan replied as he handed Elena her flowers.

"Thank you, they're beautiful. How did you know daisies were my favorite?"

Stefan smirked, "A little birdie told me." _Reminder: Thank Caroline_.

Elena shook her head, "Come inside, I'm just gonna put these in a vase real quick." Elena left Stefan in the foyer as she quickly walked into the kitchen, spotting her aunt and uncle grinning to themselves. With a quick goodbye and saying she would be back before curfew, Elena and Stefan were out the door and on the road.

"So where are we going?"

"It's a surprise."

"I'm getting a sense of deja vu here," Elena said, referencing the previous day.

"You'll like this one too, I promise."

"If you say so..." Elena could only smile as Stefan reached over and laced his fingers through hers.

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><p>Before Elena knew it, she was standing in front of a carnival a few towns away from Mystic Falls.<p>

"A carnival? I haven't been to a carnival since I was a kid."

"Well Miss Gilbert, prepare yourself for the best carnival you've ever been to."

Stefan wasn't exaggerating. At 17, Elena Gilbert could say that the Hillsboro Carnival was the best carnival she'd ever been too. They went on all of the rides, twice and Stefan even offered to win her a bear. After $23 dollars and seven tries, Stefan handed Elena a Koala Bear that she couldn't help but holding onto.

Elena loved her koala, she loved it even more since Stefan won the stuffed animal for her. "Thank you, I love it." Elena motioned to a park bench so her and Stefan could sit and relax for a few minutes.

"Anything for a pretty girl." Elena loved hearing Stefan's compliments. She wasn't vain and didn't beg for a compliment but hearing them from Stefan made her feel beautiful and happy...something she hadn't felt with a boy in a long time.

"Even though it's not over yet, I'm pretty sure this is the best first date I've ever had." Elena told the truth, her first date with Cole was to the movies, something so typical and boring and with Liam, they didn't really go on dates, more to parties.

"Would you believe me if I said this is the first real date I've been on?" Stefan's comment surprised Elena, there was no way he had not been on a date before..._he is gorgeous!_

"No, definitely not. You've had to have been on a date before."

"I haven't really had girlfriends...that sounded bad. I just mean that I haven't really done the entire officially dating thing."

Elena nodded, she got it. Not all guys did the whole relationship thing and apparently, that included Stefan. It didn't matter to her though, it just made their date more special. "I understand, so I guess then this first date is special."

Stefan glanced at Elena, staring into her eyes. "It already is." Before Elena knew it, Stefan slowly leaned in and kissed her.

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><p>Reluctantly, Stefan had to take Elena home. Elena clutched her Koala Bear as Stefan walked her to her door. Setting the stuffed animal down on a porch chair, Elena turned to Stefan.<p>

"Thank you for tonight. I had an amazing time."

"You're very welcome, thank you for coming with me."

"Well I couldn't exactly let you go alone, you'd look a little creepy..." Elena giggled, imagining Stefan walking around a carnival by himself.

"Maybe a little. I wanted to ask you something though...I, uh, really like you, I mean you're different and uh would you want to go out...again...sometime?" Stefan obviously struggled through his nervousness and it was endearing, causing Elena's heart to skip a few beats.

Giggling at his nervousness, Elena smiled. "Why are you asking me to go steady Mr. Salvatore?" Elena mocked, pretending to blush.

"Yeah, I guess I am."

"Hmm...I don't know..." Elena replied, smiling as Stefan placed his arms around her waist.

"You don't know?"

"I think I'm gonna need a little incentive. What does a girl get if she goes steady with a Salvatore?"

"Well a lot of flowers, a few dates, maybe some handholding..."

"Oooh, handholding! Mr. Salvatore, you know how to make a girl blush."

"Oh and a lot of this." Stefan brought Elena closer to him and greedily kissed her, making Elena weak at the knees.

Finally after pulling away for air, Elena breathlessly replied "Of course, I'll be your girlfriend. As long as you never stop doing that."

Stefan smirked, "That's definitely something I can agree to."

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><p>AN: So fluffy it hurts. It might seem OOC but honestly, I like a happy Stelena. Alas, next chapter: first official outing as a couple! High school parties, woot woot. I'll try to update this weekend! MAKE SURE TO REVIEW :) I love to read all of my reviews!<p> 


	5. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

**The Best Laid Plans**

Summary: AU/AH. When 17 year old Elena Gilbert dreamed of her summer before senior year, she didn't dream of leaving Chicago for Mystic Falls. But it seems the sleepy town has a lot in store for her in the form of two charming brothers.

Rating: T

AN: I suck. I've been really busy with exams and so much school stuff but I've been writing a little so I'm trying! Anyway my apologies and I hope you enjoy this update! Also just a little self-promotion, I just made a Stelena tumblr so check it out! givemestelena . tumblr :) And if you guys want to see my personal, its nodoublingbacknow . tumblr, feel free to follow either!

Disclaimer: If I owned The Vampire Diaries, Stefan and Elena wouldn't have broken up in the first place.

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><p>To say that Stefan was having a great summer already was an understatement. At least according to him. It had been a week since he and Elena officially started dating and they had spent almost every waking hour together. If she wasn't working at the Grill, she was over the Boarding House. If he wasn't at a summer football practice, he took her out to dinner. The two lovebirds were in the honeymoon phase and neither wanted to leave it. That's why Stefan wanted to introduce Elena to all of Mystic Halls High School at her very own welcoming party at the Boarding House. Since Stefan did not know much about party planning, he gave the reins to Caroline.<p>

Just as Stefan thought of the perky, energetic blonde, he noticed his phone vibrating on his bed. "Speaking of the devil, I was just wondering about how the plans are coming along." Stefan gave Caroline his credit card to buy necessities, but he was still nervous about what she would buy. He really didn't want to come home to a rented moon bounce or a petting zoo.

"Splendidly of course, you know I'm the best party planner in Mystic Falls. Does Elena know yet?" Stefan had not told Elena of his plans yet, making her welcoming party a surprise. "Not yet, we're going out to dinner and I told her we're doing something after, just not what." Stefan smiled at his sneakiness, he had been going behind Elena's back all week to make her feel at home in Mystic Falls.

"Fabulous! I'm almost done shopping so I'll be there to set up with Bon, Ty and Matt soon! Just make sure to get her there, it's going to be an amazing night!" With a goodbye, Stefan hung up the phone on his friend, hoping that Elena's party would go off without a hitch.

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><p>"You're really big on surprises aren't you?" Elena asked Stefan as he opened her car door. He refused to tell her where they were going after dinner, even though she begged.<p>

"I may or may not like to watch you squirm." Elena faked a gasp as she slid into her seat.

"So mean."

Pulling out of the parking lot, Stefan smiled at her and laced their fingers together. "But you like me anyway."

"Unfortunately," teased Elena with a smile, squeezing Stefan's hand to assure him she really did like him.

After a few minutes of silence, Elena's curiosity got the best of her. "But really, where are we going?" Elena noticed that they were driving back towards Mystic Falls, more specifically the Boarding House.

"How do you feel about a party?" Stefan asked as he pulled into his driveway, showing Elena the cars and people all on the lawn.

Elena's surprise and confusion was shown clearly on her face, she had no idea what was going on. "What is going on?...what's this party for?"

"For you."

"For me?"

"Yeah, I wanted to officially welcome you to Mystic Falls with your own party."

Elena could not help smiling. Though she would have been happy with snuggling on the couch with a movie, the thoughtfulness of Stefan's gesture melted her heart. _He's perfect, he just wants me to feel at home_. Being with Stefan made her feel more at home than she ever did at Chicago. Elena's realization about how much Stefan really meant to her after a few weeks made her slightly panic. Just as she was about to getaway to think, Caroline came bouncing up to her and Stefan.

"ELENA! On behalf of Mystic Falls, I, Miss Mystic Falls, officially welcome you with your very own party!" Caroline's bubbly attitude pushed Elena's worries about Stefan to the back of her mind.

"Thank you Caroline, I have to say, the decorations look great..."

"I know right! I picked out everything! The balloons, the foo- oh wait I mean Stefan picked out everything." Caroline smiled sheepishly back at Stefan who was standing right behind Elena, motioning for Caroline to stop talking. "Oops."

Elena giggled, she knew Caroline threw this together as a favor to Stefan. She could tell immediately with the massive decorations strewn about the Boarding House. "You did a great job Care." With a hug, Caroline dragged her around to meet "everyone worth meeting." With a smile back at Stefan, Elena told him she'd find him later as she became apart of the crowd.

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><p>Elena was exhausted. Caroline introduced her to almost a hundred people during the last two hours, all of whom welcomed her with open arms. <em>Too bad I won't remember anyone's name<em>. Elena had been growing slightly concerned at Caroline's eagerness to throw back shots, resulting with Elena having a slight buzz. Needing to escape and breathe, told Caroline she'd be back in five. Walking up the stairs, she opened Stefan's bedroom door and was pleasantly surprised to find her boyfriend, laying eyes closed, on his bed.

Without looking up, Stefan said "Get out, this room is off limits."

"Even for me?" Immediately hearing Elena's voice, Stefan sat up and smiled at her holding onto the doorknob.

"Yeah, the only girl allowed up here is my girlfriend and I haven't seen her all night."

Elena grinned at his response before walking over and sitting down next to him. "Oh what a shame. I guess what she doesn't know won't hurt her." Elena turned and brought Stefan into a kiss. Even her thoughts from earlier were far from her mind, something to worry about later. Right now, all she cared about was making out with her handsome and caring boyfriend and feeling her alcoholic buzz.

Elena pulled away, she had something she wanted to get off of her chest. "Thank you for this. It's really nice to feel at home." She still couldn't believe Stefan went through all of the trouble just to make her feel welcomed in little Mystic Falls, especially since she there for the summer.

Stefan smiled. It was so nice to be with someone who appreciated the small things...even if the party was by no means small. "Anything for you," Stefan replied before leaning into kiss her.

Breaking their kiss, Elena stood up, forcing Stefan to get up as well. She spent enough time secluded in Stefan's room, there was more time for that later. "Come on Lonely Boy, it's my party. I gotta go mingle."

Elena and Stefan walked down the stairs to find the party still in full swing with Mystic Falls High students wandering about the various rooms of the Boarding House. Stefan continued to introduce her to people, mostly members of the football team. Elena felt like the social butterfly she was back in Chicago.

All of a sudden, Elena heard someone call out "LENA!" Scanning the room for the source of the voice, Elena was not entirely shocked to see a stumbling Caroline running toward her with Tyler in tow.

"Hi Care," Elena said as Caroline flung her arms around Elena's neck, bringing the other girl into a hug. She was beyond drunk. _Lightweight_.

"I'm soooo glad you moved here! Plus you're great for Steffy over here, much better than his last- OOOH I love this song!" Caroline turned away and dragged a helpless Tyler onto the makeshift dance floor.

Deciding to ignore Caroline's comment, _I'll ask about it later_, Elena looked at Stefan with a mischievous smile on her face. The look she got whenever she was about to get her way. Stefan quickly caught on to what Elena wanted. He did not dance. Ever. It was just an embarrassment for everyone else.

"Wanna dance?"

"Um...no."

Elena was not taking no for an answer, putting on the perfect puppy dog pout, she asked again. "Pretty please?"

Stefan knew he was done for. Raising his hands in defeat, Elena squealed as she took her boyfriend on the dance floor.

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><p>An exhausted Stefan finally managed to drag Elena off of the crowded dance floor. Elena apparently loved to dance as she pouted when Stefan said they needed to go get drinks. Walking into the kitchen, Stefan stopped at the doorway when he saw his brother flirting with one of his classmates.<p>

Elena noticed Stefan's smile form into a frown, "Are you okay?" Before he could answer, a man Elena did not recognize called out "Hello Brother."

Out of the corner of her eye, Elena watched Stefan stiffen at the term before glancing back at his brother. _This is Stefan's brother? Great gene pool_.

"This must be the lovely Elena, I'm Damon Salvatore." The blue-eyed brother kissed her hand in a greeting. Elena could feel Stefan's grip tighten on the hand he was holding. Reassuring him she wasn't about to give into Damon's charms, she squeezed Stefan's hand, watching his face slightly relax at the gesture.

"Pleasure to meet you Damon."

"Oh, the pleasure is all mine Elena."

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><p>AN: Sorry it was a little short, the next chapter will be longer I promise! Make sure to review and let me know what you think! And don't worry, Elena won't fall for any of Damon's tricks.<p> 


	6. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

**The Best Laid Plans**

Summary: AU/AH. When 17 year old Elena Gilbert dreamed of her summer before senior year, she didn't dream of leaving Chicago for Mystic Falls. But it seems the sleepy town has a lot in store for her in the form of two charming brothers.

Rating: T

AN: After 3x19, I really wanted to post an update. If Stelena can't be happy in the show, then they're sure as anything going to be happy in my story. I hope you like who I made Elena's best friend :)

Disclaimer: While I may borrow some dialogue, I, unfortunately, am only a poor college student, not an owner of The Vampire Diaries.

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><p>When Elena woke up in Stefan's arms the next morning, she felt completely at home. While nothing scandalous happened the night before, Elena felt safe in Stefan's embrace. But she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something up with Damon. The elder Salvatore had been nothing but charming to Elena at the party, but she felt like it was a complete show to get a rise out of Stefan.<em> There's just something off about him<em>. Not only was Elena worried about Damon, she couldn't help but wonder about Stefan's ex, the one Caroline quickly mentioned. _Of course he's had girlfriends, he's gorgeous_. But there was just something about Caroline's tone she couldn't shake. Plus, why didn't he tell her? She told him everything about her past but he had barely begun to share anything about his. Elena didn't want to be the crazy girlfriend but she just wished Stefan would open up and share something substantial. Stefan knew Elena's secrets, why hadn't he told any of his?

Pushing her worries about Damon and this mysterious ex aside, Elena looked up at the handsome, sleeping man she called her boyfriend. Even with her worries about his past, Elena had to admit Stefan was adorable when he slept.

The sound of Stefan's husky, sleep induced voice interrupted Elena's train of thought. "You're staring."

"I'm gazing."

"It's creepy."

Elena scoffed, "It's romantic." Stefan opened one eye and glanced at her before covering his face with a pillow. Elena turned to roll away, but Stefan's arms flipped her, leaving him free to cover her neck with light kisses.

"Perfect way to wake up in the morning."

"We can definitely do it more often. You just have to convince Miranda and Grayson to let you stay over." At the mention of her Aunt and Uncle, Elena shot up out of bed, searching for the dress she wore the night before. For comfort, she simply changed into a pair of Stefan's sweats.

In her surprised and slightly intoxicated state, Elena completely forgot to contact her summer guardians.

"Shit, I'll be grounded for life and never be allowed to see you again." Elena's father, John, gave his brother and sister-in-law the ability to discipline Elena like she was their own daughter. There was absolutely no way she would be allowed to spend the night at her boyfriend's house.

Elena finally founded her dress in a pile in the bathroom and quickly threw it on. With a shout goodbye, Elena sprinted down the stairs. Until she realized that Stefan had drove her last night. Just as she turned around to go get him, Stefan came jogging down the stairs, pulling on a hoodie, car keys in hand. _What would I do without him?_

* * *

><p>After a quick drive, Elena kissed Stefan goodbye and carefully walked in the door. Thought it was already noon, she had no idea if anyone was still home, plus she was still in her dress from the night before.<p>

"Elena?" Elena followed the sound of the voice into the kitchen, where she saw her Aunt reading some papers.

"Hey."

"Now before you ask, no, you're not in trouble. So no, we're not telling your father."

"You're not?" Elena was surprised. She didn't think her aunt and uncle were strict but she figured after over twelve hours without contact, they would be worried. Especially when the last time they saw her, she was leaving on a date with her boyfriend.

"No, Gray and I understand that you forgot to call, it happens. Next time, just tell us when you sleep over Bonnie's"

"Bonnie's?" _Who said anything about Bonnie? _

"Yes, Jeremy said he saw you leave the Grill with the girls after your date with Stefan. He said he overheard you saying you were going to Bonnie's for a movie night."

Elena's confusion turned into praise for Jeremy but she kept it together. "Yes...I did. I'm sorry. I'll remember to call next time."

"That's all we ask, now you should go and shower. Your shift starts soon. Just let me know when you want to leave."

Elena thanked her Aunt for her understanding and jogged up the stairs and hopped in the shower. She reminded herself to buy something for Jeremy.

Just as she was finishing putting on her standard black t-shirt and jeans for work, Miranda called her downstairs.

"You know Elena, I was thinking...how about you drive yourself?"

"Ha ha, good joke Aunt Miranda." Currently the Gilbert's only had one car, which Grayson took to work everyday. "If I had my car here, I would drive myself everywhere." Elena's pride and joy, a sleek, black BMW X5 sat covered in her garage in Chicago. John and Isobel took it away after the fire and left it to sit and collect dust.

"Well it's a good thing you do." Miranda opened to door and Elena's jaw dropped. Her baby, nick named Beem, was sitting casually on the street like it had been there all summer.

"What?" Elena's excitement grew as she screamed and hugged her Aunt. "But wait...how did it get here?"

"Well that would be me." Elena's excitement grew ten fold as she ran to her best friend pulling her into a tight hug. Rebekah and Elena had been best friends ever since Bex moved to the States in third grade.

"What are you doing here!"

"I missed my best friend. Chi-town was a bore without you. I ran into your mom on Michigan Ave and she told me where you were. After some serious convincing of both Mikael, Esther and Isobel, they agreed to let me take the Beem to see you!"

Bringing her best friend into another hug, Elena couldn't express how amazing it was to see Rebekah. "Bex! I'm so happy you're here...but I have to go in to work."

"No you don't." Miranda had been silent while the girls reunited but continued, "I called Lexi to explain the situation and she's giving you the day off. Now go and have fun!" _I love my Aunt_. Quickly hugging Miranda goodbye, Elena squealed, determined to take Beem for a joyride as she showed Rebekah boring Mystic Falls.

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><p>"Wait, so let me get this straight, you have a boyfriend?"<p>

"Yes, is that so hard to believe?"

"Oh, that's not the hard part, the fact is that he treats you like a goddess is the part I'm shocked about. I approve. Even if he's hideous." Rebekah wasn't exactly the biggest fan of Cole or Liam, repeatedly telling her best friend that she deserved better. But Elena never listened..._if only I met Stefan earlier_.

"Now tell me, what's he like? Tall, handsome, have a twin for me?"

"No twin, but he does have a brother, Damon. He's...nice."

Rebekah immediately picked up on Elena's strained tone. Damon was anything but nice. "Nice? You never say nice Elena. What's wrong with the brother?"

"I don't know, he just laid on the charm. Right in front of Stefan. He seemed to do it on purpose, as if to get a rise out of him."

"And..." Rebekah could tell that there was something else Elena wasn't saying.

"And I think Stefan's keeping his past a secret. My friend, Caroline, mentioned something about an ex last night. Obviously he had one, probably more than one. He's insanely gorgeous."

"Who's gorgeous?" At the sound of her boyfriend's voice, Elena jumped in surprise. "You scared me."

"Sorry babe." Stefan smiled as he leaned down to properly greet his girlfriend with a kiss. After a morning of cleaning the Boarding House, he planned to visit the Grill to distract his girlfriend from work. But to his surprise, Elena was sitting outside of the Grill with a girl he didn't recognize.

A cough interrupted their kiss. Blushing, Elena introduced her boyfriend and her best friend. "Stefan, I'd like you to meet my best friend from home Rebekah. Rebekah, this is my boyfriend Stefan Salvatore." The shock across Rebekah's face made Elena laugh. Apparently Rebekah wasn't expecting Stefan to be Adonis in the flesh. Snapping out of her reverie, Rebekah blushed and shook Stefan's waiting hand.

"Nice to meet you Stefan, I hear you're treating my girl E very well."

"I like to think so."

Elena scoffed at her boyfriend's modesty- Stefan spoiled her like she was a princess. "You do, you spoil me." She smiled at him and tugged him to sit down in the seat next to her, lacing their fingers together in the process.

Just then, their server, Matt walked out of the door, ready to take their order. "Hey bro, Elena." Matt turned and noticed Rebekah, a slight smirk appearing on his face. "And Who's this?"

"Matt, this is Rebekah. She's one of my best friends from home and she's staying for a few days. Rebekah, Matt."

"Elena, any more beautiful friends you have hiding in Chicago?" While Rebekah blushed at Matt's comment, Elena simply rolled her eyes at his lame attempt to woo her friend. Stefan seemed to agree with her, "Typical Matt, hitting on the new girl."

"And what's that supposed to mean? I do believe you hit on the new girl Mr. Salvatore."

"Best decision I've ever made."

"And you think Matt is cheesy."

* * *

><p>Once lunch had ended, Stefan had to run off to attend a summer football workout, leaving Elena to introduce Rebekah to Caroline and Bonnie. After spending the rest of the afternoon shopping, the four of them decided to have a well deserved girls night in the Gilbert's living room, complete with chick flicks, chocolate, manicures, and a bottle of wine courtesy of Sheriff Forbes' liquor cabinet.<p>

Currently the girls were sitting, cuddled in blankets watching _The Way We Were_. Caroline, being Caroline, broke up the sadness of the film by talking. "So Rebekah, enjoying Mystic Falls?"

"Yes, very much. I...I even snagged a date."

At the mention of the word date, Elena whipped her head to look at her best friend. Rebekah had said absolutely nothing about a date. "A date?"

"With Matt. While you and Stefan were giving each other the look during lunch, he asked me to dinner tomorrow and then to the Lockwood's Garden Party the next day. I wasn't going to say yes but why not? Might as well have some fun in this town." In a typical Caroline fashion, she brought Rebekah into a side conversation, asking the other blonde what she planned to wear on both dates. _Caroline gets way too much enjoyment out of matchmaking_.

The side conversation brought Elena back to when Caroline planned her outfit for her date with Stefan. Which caused Elena to zone out and analyze what exactly Stefan wasn't telling her.

Bonnie was the first to notice her friend absentmindedly staring at the wall. "Elena, you with us?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm here."

"What's on your mind?" At this point, Rebekah and Caroline seemed to be more concerned with what Elena wasn't saying.

"Come on E, spill. Finally get Stefan in the sack?" Caroline winked to ease the tension, but she could tell Elena was dying to vent.

"I just...I just feel like Stefan is hiding something from me. I don't want to be a crazy girlfriend, but especially when Care mentioned something about one of his ex's, it made me realize he hasn't told me anything about his past. I like Stefan but I just don't understand why he hasn't told me about his exes, or some part of his past, I just feel-"

Caroline held up her hand, she couldn't believe what she just heard. "Wait, Stefan hasn't told you about Katherine?"

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><p>AN: Cliffhanger! I'm evil hehehe. Kudos to those who guessed Katherine would be popping up. I already have the next chapter planned and half-written so it will be up relatively soon. Don't forget to review!<p> 


	7. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

**The Best Laid Plans**

AN: Merp, not much to say this time, other than I AM SO SORRY. It's been too long. I've just gotten caught up with coming home from college and work and family stuff (my cousin just got married and I was in the wedding party!). It's crazy. But I did make this chapter longer than previous ones :) I've actually been bringing my computer to work to write this. I promise to have up a new chapter next week, I swear!

I hope you guys check out my one-shot! Please let me know what you think. It's called _I'm Half-Alive But I Feel Mostly Dead_. Remember to check out my tumblr too! I posted it a few chapters back.

Disclaimer: Though I write about the Vampire Diaries, if I actually owned it, Damon and Elena wouldn't have kissed. Ever. Stupid love triangles.

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><p>Elena felt her heart drop, the name hadn't even been mentioned. She took a deep breath before asking, "Who's Katherine?" She may have seemed calm asking but her head was screaming <em>what the f...who the f is Katherine?! <em>

Caroline and Bonnie looked at each other, a look that did not go unnoticed by Elena. It appeared they were debating on whether to tell her about this Katherine person or not. Whatever it was, Elena got the gut feeling that whatever they were going to tell her wasn't going to be good.

Bonnie started first, "Listen Elena, I think Stefan should tell you about Katherine. It's not my business and he probably didn't-" Caroline cut Bonnie off. "I'm telling you this in total secrecy, I honestly don't know why he didn't tell you but you deserve to know."

Taking a deep breath, Caroline continued. "It was our sophomore year when a new student named Katherine moved to Mystic Falls. She was a senior, totally gorgeous and knew how to use her looks to her advantage."

"Anyway, the second she got here, the boys were simply smitten with her. She flirted with everyone, literally Tyler right in front of my face. And the boys, except Tyler because _ew_, I'd kill him, flirted back and fought for her affection. And when I say the boys, I literally mean everyone Elena. She had every boy in Mystic Falls under her spell. Katherine knew how to play the game, knew how to get what she wanted, and she wanted Stefan. She didn't care that he was a sophomore, she thought he was gorgeous, because he is...no offense. Stefan wouldn't admit it to anyone but he was totally enamored by her presence. So they started dating. It was disgusting. She was all over him, all the time, PDA central. But we couldn't really say anything, they seemed happy and in love, plus I did not want to be on the receiving end of one of Katherine's famous freak outs. They even decided to stay together even though she was going to Duke. Stefan didn't care about the long distance thing and would go to visit her every weekend. It was even better since Damon was a sophomore at Duke at the time so he got to see his girlfriend and his best friend every weekend."

"It was going great, until Stefan drove to surprise her to take her home for the summer. He even talked to her parents and everything, driving their truck to haul all of her stuff home. But he was the one surprised. He walked in on Damon and Katherine in bed together. He was crushed. Stefan hasn't talked to Katherine and only talks to Damon because he has to. From what I've heard, Katherine doesn't even care about either of them."

Elena was in shock, there were too many thoughts speeding through her head like a bullet train. She couldn't believe she didn't know. She told him about her terrible past relationships and how much she screwed of her life in Chicago and he couldn't confide about his last, and fairly recent, girlfriend. She felt like a rebound. Stefan was with Katherine less than a month ago now seemed crazy about her? It was definitely too good to be true.

The other girls noticed Elena's blank stare, worried that their friend was going to burst into tears. Rebekah finally broke the silence, "Are you okay, E?"

Forcing a smile onto her face, Elena replied with a smile "Yeah, I'll be okay...it's fine." While the girls knew better, knew Elena was not okay, she obviously did not want to talk about Katherine so they didn't press the issue. Instead, the girls went back to their stories about Matt getting caught with his pants down on the football field.

* * *

><p>Once her friends had passed out after the last movie, Elena texted Stefan and asked him to come over. She didn't really care what time it was. <em>I need to know what's going on<em>.She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep a wink unless she talked to him. Luckily for her, Stefan responded right away saying he'd be there, which brought Elena to cuddle with a blanket on the porch swing. When she saw Stefan walking up from his car, she softly smiled but then quickly realized why she invited him over and her smile vanished.

"Hi," Stefan leaned in to kiss his girlfriend but Elena turned her head. Immediately Stefan sensed that something was up. "What's wrong?" He drove over right away after she got her text, secretly hoping she wanted to fool around a little and hang out. With Rebekah there, Stefan felt like he barely had any alone time with his girlfriend, even though it had barely been a few hours since they had last seen each other.

Elena gathered her courage and looked Stefan directly in the eye. "Why didn't you tell me about her?"

Stefan's confusion was plastered across his face, "What? About who?"

"Katherine. Why didn't you tell me about Katherine?" Straightaway, Stefan's smile faded into a straight, grim line. "It doesn't matter."

It was obvious that Stefan did not want to talk about Katherine but Elena wasn't going to let this go. "Of course it matters Stefan, how could it not matter?" If Stefan wasn't going to talk to her about his past, she was about to start not talking to him at all.

"Elena..." She interrupted him, she needed to ask before she got anymore invested in their relationship than she was. "Am I just a rebound to you? Some random girl to hang out with this summer? The first girl you decided to talk to after she left?"

"Of course not, you're more than that."

"Then why didn't you tell me? I told you everything about my past, how shitty it was and you said NOTHING about her." Elena didn't mean to cry or to get so upset, she honestly didn't understand why Stefan wouldn't share anything about Katherine with her. She felt in the dark about Stefan's past. Elena really liked Stefan and it felt like more than a rebound, that they had a future together. Not that she would admit that to him, it was way too soon. But still, she felt like maybe if things went well, they wouldn't have to break up when she moved back to Chicago. She calmed down a little and looked at him, trying to figure out what was going through his head. "I don't care that you dated someone else, Stefan, I just care that you didn't trust me enough to tell me about something that affected you so deeply."

Stefan hated himself in this moment. While Katherine had destroyed him (and his relationship with Damon), he felt embarrassed to share his story. It was all fairly recent and everything was still fresh. Stefan didn't want to talk about the girl that ruined his relationship with his brother, but he knew he had to. Elena deserved to know. She was more than a rebound. Stefan looked down at the wooden porch, avoiding Elena's eyes as he replied, "Elena...I...I guess I was embarrassed."

Out of all the responses Stefan could have said, embarrassed was the last one Elena thought about. Her anger slowly slipped away as she took her boyfriend's hands in her own, "Stefan, you have nothing to be embarrassed for. It's okay. You fell in love and trusted easily. I can't blame you for doing that. I just want you to be able to tell me these things. It hurt learning about something so big from Caroline. I felt stupid, I thought you were comfortable enough with me to tell me about your past. I just want you to trust me. I want you to be honest with me."

Stefan immediately responded, wanting to defend his feelings for Elena and how much she meant to him. "I do trust you, I do Elena. And I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I just didn't know how...I didn't love her Elena. I thought I did, I thought she was the best thing that ever happened to me. Katherine's manipulative and tricked me into thinking she loved me and I loved her. But that's not what love is."

"I know. And I understand what that feels like, to think someone loves you but instead destroys you. I just want you to be okay with telling me these things Stefan. I want to know you and knowing about your past helps me understand how you've become the wonderful guy you are today. I wasn't mad, I was just hurt. Katherine was a huge part of your life for a while and you don't just let that go easily."

"I'm sorry Elena. I really truly am. Katherine means nothing to me anymore and you don't need to worry about her. You're the only girl in my life." Stefan sealed his sincerity with a kiss, showing Elena just how much he cared for her. He broke away and smiled at her before

Even if they just were having a fight minutes before, Elena's heart melted a little more at Stefan's words. He truly was amazing. Even after all of the heartbreak he had been through, Stefan knew how to treat a girl right. And Stefan knew better than to mess this one up, Elena was special.

* * *

><p>The shrill noise of the alarm from her iPhone woke Elena from the spot on the floor of the basement. After engaging in a quick cuddlemake out session with Stefan, Elena snuck back into her sleeping bag and drifted off to sleep. Elena slowly opened her eyes to see her friends attempting to ignore the obnoxious beeping and get an hour more of beauty sleep. Elena scrambled to find her phone in the mess of pillows everywhere.

Once she found it, Elena noticed she had an unread text message from the night before.

_I'm sorry for not telling you. Let me make it up to you, be my date to the Garden Party?_

Even with the drama from the night before, Elena couldn't help but feel giddy at Stefan's text. She quickly typed out her reply, an obvious yes, before waking the girls to spend the day shopping and prepping for Rebekah's date with Matt. Elena knew no matter what the girls did today, her wonderful boyfriend and their date to the party would be the main thing on her mind, and maybe not all of those thoughts were good ones.

"So did you talk to Stefan?" After a breakfast feast courtesy of Grayson and a trip to the local mall, Caroline was dying to know if Elena had called Stefan and yelled at him. With their current adjacent seats drying their nails at a salon, Caroline needed to find out the scoop. Though she wanted her friends to be happy, Caroline did love hearing about gossip.

Elena smirked before blushing, something that did not go unnoticed by Caroline. Before Elena could think about responding, Caroline was quick to comment. "Elena Gilbert! You snuck out last night. Dirty!" Bonnie and Rebekah giggled at Caroline's comment and Elena's face turning as red as a cherry. Once the laughter died down and the deep color left from Elena's face, she set the record straight with a brief answer. "When you all fell asleep, I asked him to come over to talk. We're okay."

Caroline was having none of Elena's short answer. "Elena Gilbert! Don't skip out on the details."

While Elena adored her new friend, she hated Caroline's inquisitive nature. _I would befriend a nosy blonde_. "I confronted him about Katherine, okay? He didn't want to talk at first but then he told me why he didn't tell me, which I'm not saying but I understood. I told him he needs to trust me. It's fine guys, really." Though Caroline wanted to know more, Elena knew that Stefan was private; telling her friends how embarrassed he was over the Katherine debacle would be insensitive. And there was the point that Elena was still slightly uneasy about the Stefan's skeleton. Now that it's out of the closet, she wasn't sure what else was hiding.

Unfazed by Elena's omission, Bonnie's pride in the brunette grew. Bonnie and Stefan had always been close friends but after the whole Katherine debacle, she worried for Stefan. Since Elena came into town, Bonnie worried less and less when she saw how Stefan's eyes would light up every time Elena walked into the room. "I'm glad you stood up for yourself, you deserved to hear it from him the first place," Bonnie said with a playful glance at Caroline for spilling the beans.

Caroline jokingly rolled her eyes at her friend, "Oh whatever, she deserved to know." With a glance at her watch, Caroline freaked about the time. Quickly forcing everyone from the dryers, insisting their nails were dry, Caroline hustled her friends out the door. "WE NEED TO GO NOW! Rebekah's date with Matt starts in two hours!" The girls looked at each other and laughed, _typical Caroline_.

* * *

><p>Just like that Rebekah's visit was almost over. After a romantic date with Matt that ended in a kiss and an agreement to keep in touch after she went home, Rebekah's sadness to leave her friend grew tenfold. But she still had one more night in Mystic Falls and was all too excited to spend it with her best friend and her new friends, especially Matt. Rebekah wasn't going to dedicate the rest of her life to the blue-eyed football star, but she was definitely not opposed to a little fling while she visiting Elena.<p>

Meanwhile, Elena's excitement about the Garden Party was non-existent. She worked a grueling shift at the grill the night before and had zero energy to stand around and be continuously introduced to more Founding Families, _seriously, how many families here are founding families?_ But the chance of dressing up and having a gorgeous escort perked her grim attitude up. Elena felt like she hadn't seen Stefan in days, even though it had only been a day. It already seemed like summer was flying by and before she knew it, the day her parents were picking her up from Mystic Falls would be here. _But where does that leave me and Stefan_? Even with the Katherine drama, Elena still knew that Stefan was different. They were different, and honestly, she didn't know if she was ready to say goodbye to him at the end of the summer.

Elena was broken out of her thoughts by a twirling Rebekah, showing off her new light blue BCBG cocktail dress, waiting on Elena's response. "It's perfect, Bex." Elena told the truth, the leggy blonde looked gorgeous in the garden party appropriate dress. "You look amazing too, E." The brunette had on a mint green French Connection sundress that flattered her slight curves. She smiled at her friend's enthusiasm to go to a boring Founding Family Garden Party. _Oh Matt, what have you done to my city girl best friend? _ Elena feigned enthusiasm and continued to get ready, prepping for a night of boredom.

While they were applying make-up, Rebekah noticed Elena's sour mood and commented. "E, are you okay?"

Elena didn't want to worry her friend on her last night, especially with her worries about what the future held for her and Stefan. If there even was a future for her and Stefan. Putting on a happy face, Elena replied, "I'm fine, just dreading a night of faking enthusiasm with the founding families. I wonder how many people will ask why I'm in Mystic Falls tonight." It was partly true, every town event, someone would ask why she decided to stay in Mystic Falls for the summer when she was from a big city town. Elena kept quiet about her real reason, just saying that her parents wanted to take a second honeymoon and preferred her to stay with Grayson and Miranda.

"Ignore them, arses. They don't know you, E."

"I know, I know, it's just frustrating sometimes. Thinking of how I treated everyone at home, my parents, you..." Elena tried to avoid thinking about how destructive she was back in Chicago, back with Cole. Though he was a bad influence, she had her own mind and became an entirely different person, a person who she's not proud of.

"E, you've been forgiven. Hell, even your parents forgive you for almost burning down the house," Rebekah's joke made Elena feel a little better but regardless, it was still true. Sometimes Elena felt totally responsible for everyone's actions when she was with Cole, not just her own.

The girls were interrupted by the distinctive sound of Elena's iPhone. Quickly Elena ran to her phone to see that her Mom was calling. As much as Elena loved her Mom, Isobel had a habit of being passive-aggressive and after the conversation she just had with Rebekah, Elena ignored the call. She really was not in the mood to hear her mom complain about the construction plans, or her father.

"Who was it?" Rebekah called from the bathroom, deciding which gold earrings looked better with her dress.

"Just my Mom, I call her later," Elena instead faked her enthusiasm for the party, _fake it until you make it_, "Now let's go!"

* * *

><p>By the time the girls arrived at the party with Miranda and Grayson, it seemed that every founding family was there. In the late afternoon sunlight, Elena was already itching to leave, or at least find Stefan. She and the tan, green eyed boy agreed to meet at the party since Miranda and Grayson wanted to introduce Elena to some more important Mystic Falls residents, a task that wanted to put Elena to sleep.<p>

After more introductions, hopefully the last of meeting the Founding Families, Elena couldn't find Stefan anywhere. While Rebekah snuck off with Matt, Elena decided a little 'me' time was necessary and snuck off, away from the guests, to the lake. She needed a minute to breathe, even if her boyfriend was MIA. The sun was slowly setting, giving a beautiful picture of pinks, oranges and yellows in the sky. It was gorgeous.

"A penny for your thoughts?" Elena turned and smiled as she saw Stefan slowly approach her, standing next to her overlooking the lake. She easily accepted his hand, noticing how their intertwined fingers just seemed to fit. _Perfect_.

"It's beautiful. You know, I never really took the time to watch the sunset. Not in years anyway." It was true, with the hectic life back in Chicago, Elena never took the time to sit down and watch the beauty of a sunset. But here in Mystic Falls, it felt like she had all of the time in the world. Even though Elena knew she didn't.

All of a sudden, the words came out before she had the chance to stop them, "Do you see a future for us? Past this summer?" Stefan didn't even have the chance to respond before Elena heard someone else's voice from behind them.

"Yes, Stefan, do you see a future for you and your rebound girlfriend?" Elena quickly turned around to see a gorgeous girl wearing a deep red, tight alice + olivia dress with sky high wedges. She knew who it was. Before Elena had the chance to say it, Stefan whispered out, "Katherine."

* * *

><p>AN: HA cliffhanger. I'm the worst oops. Merp, I don't really like Stefan and Elena's earlier conversation but I can't really think of anything better. I hope Elena doesn't sound too dramaticpsycho, she's just upset Stefan didn't feel confident in sharing something so important with her. And sorry I skipped parts, I just wanted to get to the good stuff :) Sorry again about the long delay, make sure to review :)


	8. Chapter Eight

**The Best Laid Plans**

**Chapter Eight**

AN: Oops it's been a while...sorry to leave you on another cliffhanger. I suck. College takes up all of my time. I actually think this is my longest chapter ever so hopefully that makes you readers feel a little better for my absence. And please review as always! Also, since Elena is obviously not Katherine's doppelgänger, I'm imagining Emmanuelle Chriqui as Katherine since she and Nina Dobrev are very similar looking! And if anyone doesn't know, the Outer Banks is a series of beaches in North Carolina!

I'm busy with the end of the semester and finals I won't have a good time to write again until my winter break in a week but I'm home for almost six weeks so hopefully I'll update a lot! I'm already getting started on the next chapter :)

And if you want to talk about the state of the vampire diaries and explicitly hear my opinions, feel free to PM me, or talk to me on tumblr at givemestelena :)

Again, I don't own anything.

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><p><em>Katherine? This is Katherine? <em>Elena's head was spinning. In the 30 seconds since Stefan clarified who the leggy brunette was, his most recent ex who happened to be drop dead gorgeous, Elena couldn't focus.

"We haven't be introduced, I'm Katherine." Elena felt frozen to the spot, Katherine oozed confidence and sex appeal. While Elena didn't have low self-esteem, she felt subpar to the tanned beauty in front of her.

Luckily for Elena, Stefan seemed unfazed. After his initial shock of seeing his cheating ex, he quickly spoke up for his girlfriend. "This is Elena Gilbert, my girlfriend." With the added emphasis on girlfriend, Elena felt some of her worries disappear. _Stefan wants to be with me, he's still holding my hand, that's good right? And he's pulling me towards him...WHAT?! _Stefan brought Elena into a kiss, not too provocative, but enough to prove to her he wanted nothing to do with Katherine. _I mean, Katherine who? _

Elena turned to face the girl, who currently held a nasty scowl on her face. "It was so great to meet you Katherine, but Stefan and I have somewhere to be. Excuse us." Telling off Stefan's ex gave Elena a new found confidence and once they were far away from Katherine, she pulled Stefan into a deep, passionate kiss in a secluded hallway of the Lockwood mansion. After a semi inappropriate make out, Elena leaned her forehead against Stefan's.

"Hi."

"Hi. Are you okay?" Stefan asked as he intertwined their fingers.

"After the initial surprise, yeah I am. Are you?" Elena was dying to know how Stefan felt about Katherine's sudden reappearance in his life.

"Honestly...I'm surprised she had the guts to come up to me and act like I didn't catch her with my brother. Like it's wrong for me to move on. But then again, that's how Katherine is. Ever the drama queen." Stefan told the truth, Katherine thrived on drama and it seemed she wanted to stir up trouble between her former beau and his new girlfriend. The last thing Stefan wanted was to lose Elena, especially when he hadn't answered her question. Or told her the secret he'd been dying to share with her all night.

Elena was quiet, still shocked at Katherine's arrival but curious to see if Stefan was going to remember her question; if he saw a future for them once she went back to Chicago. As if Stefan could read her mind, he responded. "Elena, about your question..."

"It's fine, you don't have to answer." After Katherine showing up and attempting to mark her territory, Elena felt awkward. Maybe she was being too forward, maybe it was too soon to talk about what was going to happen after the summer. Elena knew she really liked Stefan and saw a future for them but maybe it was just her being a girl.

"No, I want to. I don't know what's going to happen at the end of the summer, but I'm not giving you up."

Elena smiled at Stefan's words. They were on the same page and she only could hope that the rest of this summer would be perfect. And hopefully the rest of her life would be too. _Whoa Elena, slow down. You haven't even been dating for that long, or have slept together yet or said those three little words._

After a short silence, Stefan asked "What are you doing this weekend?"

Elena racked her brain to think of something but came up empty. "Nothing that I know of, I'm off work all weekend."

"Wanna go somewhere with me?"

Elena playfully rolled her eyes, "Another surprise?"

Stefan jokingly scoffed at his girlfriend's assumption, "Not this time. My parents left Damon and I a house in the Outer Banks, come with me?"

Elena wanted to say yes more than anything, a weekend alone with her boyfriend, celebrating Independence Day sounded like a dream, but there was a slight problem. "I would love to...I just have to ask Grayson and Miranda."

Automatically, Stefan's smile fell. Even with a quick recovery, Elena noticed. "Don't, they've been really great, not telling my parents a thing. I might be able to convince them for a few days." Elena wasn't exactly lying; her aunt and uncle had been very lenient with her going out with friends and dating Stefan. "Besides, they like you." Grayson and Miranda adored Stefan, with his stellar academic record and athleticism, there wasn't much to dislike about him. But Elena didn't know how Miranda and Grayson would handle a weekend of unsupervised fun alone, hours away in a different state. "I'll ask them tomorrow at breakfast after I take Rebekah to the airport. They're morning people."

Stefan seemed to be contemplating her idea, giving Elena the thought that maybe he didn't want to invite her anymore. Her worries were quickly cast aside when Stefan responded, "We'll ask them. Together. They'll want to know all of the details and I know all the information. Besides, they like me." Stefan wanted this weekend alone with Elena more than anything. Especially without having to deal with Damon or work or anyone trying to "take" Elena away from him. A long weekend down the beach with his girl? Life really couldn't get much better than that.

Elena felt giddy at her boyfriend's plan, _not many boys voluntarily talk to your parents...or your guardians_. These plans just made her feel more secure in their relationship; that they weren't just a summer fling. "Perfect. Now let's go dance." Elena grabbed Stefan's hand before he could protest, walking onto the dance floor just in time for a slow dance.

* * *

><p>While the rest of the Lockwood's party ended uneventfully, when Elena awoke the next morning, she sadly realized that her best friend would be leaving back for Chicago. But when Elena looked around, she didn't see Rebekah or any of her things laying around in her room. Elena rushed down the stairs, in time to see Matt and Rebekah casually making out at the front door. Elena's squeal of surprise alerted her two friends to her presence but Elena tried to keep her cool.<p>

"Matt, nice to see you. I'll be getting ready." Elena quickly turned around and smiled at her best friend. Though she was going back to Chicago, Elena had a feeling Rebekah may find another reason to come down to Mystic Falls this summer.

After a quick shower, Elena found Rebekah sitting on the bed with a starry look in her eyes. Elena laughed at her friend's obvious signs of a crush which took Rebekah out of her thoughts, a red blush appearing on her fair cheeks.

"What?" Rebekah asked innocently. She knew she was sitting daydreaming of how perfect last night was with Matt and how he stopped by the Gilbert's to say goodbye to her and that he hoped he'd see her soon. Rebekah would admit she was crushing on Matt but she was leaving today and their short fling was sweet but nothing serious. Matt was a great guy but long distance wasn't going to work. Fortunately, they were looking at applying to the same colleges leaving their future together open.

"Cute blush Rebekah," Elena teased.

"Oh shut it! You blush every time Stefan looks at you like he wants to rip off all your clothes."

At the mere thought of Stefan's smoldering stare, Elena blushed and began to pace around her room. "Speaking of...I'm going to convince my aunt and uncle to let me go away with Stefan this weekend..."

Since Rebekah had known Elena for years, she knew that wasn't the entire story. "And...?"

"And...I'm ready." Immediately Rebekah knew what Elena was talking about. And she was more than happy for her best friend because it was with a great guy. While the girls were no longer virgins, they didn't sleep around. Having sex with random guys wasn't anything either of them were interested in doing. In fact, Rebekah had only slept with one guy, her boyfriend at the time, while Elena had only been with Cole and Liam.

Grabbing her best friend's hand, Rebekah guided Elena to sit next to her on the bed. "I'm happy for you, E. Stefan's perfect for you."

"He's great. I'm nervous? Is that normal?" Elena wasn't questioning her relationship with Stefan nor her decision to take their relationship to the next level. Giving yourself to someone, someone you deeply care about and could even love is a huge step.

"Of course it's normal, you obviously really like Stefan and sex is a big step."

"I just really, really want us to work out Bex. After Katherine showing up-"

Rebekah quickly shushed her friend and screamed "WHAT?!"

Elena then realized she forgot to fill in her friends of meeting Stefan's infamous ex. "Oops. Sorry Bex, I honestly totally forgot. She showed up last night at the Lockwood's and I barely talked to her, Stefan and I may have put on a little show but we left her standing alone."

"Are you kidding?! What a little tramp...trying to be a drama queen!"

"Bex, it's fine. She IS a drama queen but Stefan proved to me she's nothing to worry about...hopefully anyway. She doesn't matter to me, I just want to go down and lay on the beach with my amazing boyfriend. But come on, let's get you moving before you miss your flight!"

* * *

><p>After dropping off and saying a tearful goodbye to her best friend at the airport, Elena drove over to the Salvatore's to bring Stefan over to talk to her aunt and uncle.<p>

Stefan quickly walked out the door, slid into the passenger seat and gave his girlfriend a proper good morning kiss before they pulled out of the driveway.

After a lengthy presentation about where they were staying and their general plan to Miranda and Grayson, Stefan and Elena stood awkwardly as Miranda and Grayson mulled it over. To Elena's utter shock and surprise, Miranda agreed to let Elena go away with Stefan. _She's a sucker for teenage love_. Grayson protested the idea though, which made Stefan feel very uncomfortable as Grayson stood, glaring at the boy who was dating his niece. Miranda shushed Grayson before he even spoke, just telling Stefan to leave all possible emergency numbers and a general itinerary, since it was Fourth of July weekend. Grayson however wanted Elena to call and check in every hour on the hour but Miranda and Elena agreed with a phone call to check in at least once a day.

Elena was giddy with excitement and immediately called Caroline and Bonnie to plan a shopping trip. She needed new bathing suits, a few going out tops and some racy lingerie that would leave her boyfriend speechless.

"So why may I ask are we shopping in the lingerie section?" Caroline fished. She knew Elena was shopping with a purpose and Caroline was positive it had something to do with Stefan Salvatore.

"Caroline..." Bonnie gave her blonde best friend a look. They all knew what the trip was for...mostly because Rebekah texted both of them telling the girls Elena said she was ready and this weekend would be perfect.

"Stefan and I are going away for the weekend...and-"

"YOU'RE GOING TO DO IT!" Caroline screamed, gaining the looks of the other women in the store.

"Caroline!" Elena quickly shushed her friend as a bright red blush spread on her cheeks.

"But I'm right," Caroline teased in a sing-song voice.

"I don't know...it might happen so it if does, I need something to wow him. Now help me pick out something that will leave Stefan speechless."

Bonnie spoke up, "Elena, I'm pretty sure you naked will leave him speechless enough." The girls giggled but Elena continued, "I'd hope so but...I want it to be perfect."

Seeing the hope and love in Elena's eyes, Bonnie and Caroline quickly got to work and found the perfect set that would no doubt have Stefan Salvatore speechless and drooling.

For the rest of the week, Elena could hardly contain her excitement at a weekend alone with her boyfriend, and for a special reason. It wasn't only a holiday weekend but Elena decided it was going to be the perfect weekend, _the weekend_. After everything that Stefan proved and showed to her in the past few days with Katherine's arrival, she knew she was ready. She was no longer a virgin, but with Stefan, it felt like she was. Stefan was different, he was special and that's why they hadn't jumped into bed together at first. But now, she knew she was ready to give herself to Stefan. She wasn't sure if she loved him but Elena knew that she's already been falling for him.

* * *

><p>By the time Elena knew it, it was Saturday morning and Stefan would be coming to pick her up at any moment.<p>

In the middle of packing, Elena heard a knock at the door. "Shit," she muttered under her breath. While she knew she should have started packing last night or even days ago, after her shift at the grill last night and a late dinner with Stefan, Elena came home and fell into bed, forgetting to set an alarm.

"Elena! Stefan's here!" said Miranda.

_Ugh, great_. "Yeah, just a minute!" Elena ignored the little white lie she told her aunt as she continued to pack. She knew everything she wanted to bring but as a girl, she tended to bring a lot. And for a weekend away with her boyfriend, Elena needed many cute options, including those options that were for Stefan's eyes only.

About three minutes later, Stefan strolled up the stairs after Miranda realized Elena wasn't coming down stairs anytime soon. He found Elena frantically packing a large Vera Bradley duffel bag and clothes all over her room. Stefan was almost nervous to interrupt her as she was so in the zone. "Babe?"

Elena leapt up out of surprise, obviously shaken out of her serious packing mode. "You scared me"

"I can see that," Stefan teased back, only to stop laughing once Elena threw a sandal at him.

"Well if you're going to stand here, you might as well help me pack!" Elena motioned to the piles of clothes still on the bed.

"Baby, you know that we're only going for a weekend right? Not a month?"

"Oh shut it, it's not that much stuff."

After another ten minutes of packing and a long goodbye to Miranda and Grayson, which included a stern lecture from Grayson to Stefan about how to be a gentleman, the two lovebirds were finally on the road.

* * *

><p>After the long drive down to the Outer Banks, Elena was surprised at the beach 'house' that was in front of her. "Wow," Elena said as she looked up at the Salvatore's beach mansion from Stefan's car. The house sat tucked away on the beach, yards away from the other houses. "When you said beach house, I wasn't expecting this." Elena wasn't intimidated as she knew her own home in Chicago was large but this three floor home on the beach was gorgeous and definitely bigger than a normal house at the beach.<p>

"My parents bought it after I was born. They wanted a place to take us during the summers and for us to bring our families to once we were old enough. We haven't been here in years though." Stefan said as he got out of the car and grabbed their bags.

"Well it's beautiful, you should come here more often."

"Something tells me I'll be here a lot this summer," Stefan suggested to Elena with a smirk before he continued and reached out his hand for her. "Come on, let me give you a tour."

Once Elena saw the pool with a hot tub, the balcony, all five bedrooms, the game room, the living room and the kitchen, Stefan decided they had enough of the tour for the day. "How about we go to the beach?"

"Oh you mean your own private beach outside these doors?" Elena teased. She adored the beach house but had to tease Stefan about the obvious space between the houses.

"Ha ha, very funny. Yes, and then I thought we could go into one of the towns and walk around before dinner."

"What are we doing for dinner?"

"I thought I could cook."

"You can cook?" Elena was slightly surprised. She couldn't cook for the life of her and it wasn't too common that a teenage boy knew his way around a kitchen.

"Yes, I took cooking lessons one summer."

"Why?" Elena could barely hold back her surprise, her boyfriend wearing an apron and cooking? _No way_.

"I had to. It was for two weeks one summer when my uncle was away on business and all the other camps were filled so I was stuck with the cooking camp. I was the only boy in my entire class but by the end of the second day, I really started enjoying it."

_It's official, Stefan is adorable_. "Well then, consider me excited for dinner," Elena replied with a smile on her face.

Stefan smiled back before he continued "Alright now go get ready!" and he walked away after patting Elena's butt in the direction of their bedroom.

* * *

><p>After an afternoon of lounging in the sun and playing in the ocean, neither Elena or Stefan could will themselves to get ready and walk around so they decided a nap before dinner was more than necessary.<p>

Elena stirred against Stefan's chest as she slowly awoke, taking a minute before opening her eyes. Stefan was still asleep but Elena deftly managed to untangled herself from his arms and walk out onto the balcony. The sun was just beginning to set and Elena was mesmerized by the various shades of pinks, oranges and yellows. It was a beautiful sight to behold, prompting Elena to realize how lucky she was to be here with her amazing boyfriend.

Thinking back to her life in Chicago, she felt like a total different person since moving to Mystic Falls. While she was forced to move to the small town for the summer, Elena's outlook had completely changed. She made amazing friends, a supportive family and was finally in a healthy, functioning and stable relationship. To be honest, Elena didn't want to go back to Chicago...she didn't want to revert to the girl she was before. Elena liked her 'new and improved' self a lot better.

Before she got too lost in her thoughts, she heard Stefan roll from side to side, apparently waking up and realizing she was no longer in bed with him. Elena didn't even have the chance to turn around to check on him as she felt Stefan's strong arms wrap around her torso while he rested his head on her shoulder.

Leaning back into him, Elena sighed. _This is the good life_. "Hi."

"Hey baby, ready for dinner?"

Elena hesitated. She was starving but she wanted to cherish this moment for a little while longer. "In a sec, I just really like it out here."

Stefan smiled at his girlfriend's words. While he did not always vocalize his feelings, he knew that Elena was special. Special enough to never let go. Pushing his thoughts to the back of his mind, he looked into the sunset with Elena in his arms, marveling in the beauty of sunset and of the woman in his arms.

* * *

><p>"Wow. I'm impressed. Remind me to thank your uncle for those cooking classes." After a delicious Italian dinner, complete with wine, pasta and dessert, Elena was completely stuffed and enamored with Stefan's cooking skills. <em>Oh I could definitely get used to this<em>.

"I'm glad you liked it." Though Stefan was modest, he loved to hear compliments about his cooking.

"I more than liked it...how about you cook for me every day until the end of the summer?" Elena teased. Even though she mentioned her eventual departure from Mystic Falls, she would love for Stefan to cook for her until she left.

"Hmm...if you're lucky. Now how do you feel about going in the hot tub?"

At the mention that Elena would be back in her bikini after eating a three course meal, she almost dreaded the thought. Instead of voicing her concerns about her dreaded food baby and without sharing what she wanted to do later tonight, Elena decided to compromise.

"How about we watch a movie instead? We can go in the hot tub tomorrow, it will probably be relaxing after walking around."

Stefan contemplated his girlfriend's suggestion but knew if he didn't agree, Elena would persuade him to anyway. He nodded in agreement and Elena smiled.

"Okay how about I clean up everything while you pick out a movie?" Elena didn't want to clean but it was only fair...plus she needed some time to sneak upstairs and change into something a little more appropriate for tonight.

Elena could see Stefan about to argue about the dishes. _Always the gentleman_. "Seriously, I got it. It's fair. Now go pick a movie, no action films!"

Once she was done cleaning the table, Elena sprinted by the back staircase to the room she was sharing with Stefan. Quickly, she rummaged through her bag where she found just what she was looking for. After quickly changing into her surprise for Stefan, Elena touched up her light makeup and changed back into her jeans and a shirt before walking back downstairs and joining Stefan in the den.

"Hey, what took you so long?"

"I couldn't figure out how to start the dishwasher, it took a little while," Elena fibbed as she snuggled into his side while the opening credits of _Crazy, Stupid, Love_ glided across the screen.

Before the movie was even halfway through, Elena and Stefan found themselves in a rather heated make out session. It didn't take very long for Elena to get distracted by Stefan lightly kissing her forehead and rubbing her arms. Though they hadn't gotten farther than some well placed over clothing touches, Elena was almost desperate for him.

Breaking away for air, Elena looked up through her dark, thick lashes at Stefan. With her back against the couch, she was more than comfortable but she wanted to do this right. She wanted it to be more than memorable.

Gathering her confidence and her breath, Elena spoke. "I want to go upstairs," the true meaning of her words obvious to the both of them.

Stefan almost did a double take. He would be lying if he said he hadn't thought about taking his relationship with Elena to the next level. She was beautiful and he cared for her deeply. But that choice would be her call to make. He wanted to desperately but only if she was ready. "Are you sure?"

Elena nodded her head. She was nervous. Being with Stefan was already something she had never experienced before, but she took a deep breath and held her hand out to Stefan. Though she was nervous, Elena wanted this. She wanted to connect with Stefan on this intimate level and she was excited.

Elena intertwined her fingers with Stefan's as she led him up the staircase to their room. As she ascended the staircase, Elena's worries were slowly replaced with confidence and excitement. She _wanted_ this and she knew Stefan did too. There was no more over-thinking as her inner-goddess took over and pushed Stefan on the bed.

Soon as their clothes were being thrown across the room, Elena could feel Stefan's smile before she saw it once he got a good, long look at what she had under her clothes.

"Wow," was the only word to come out of his mouth. Stefan was speechless as he looked at the matching purple and black lace bra and panty set adorning his girlfriend's body. If possible, his desire for her only grew more.

Elena was giddy with excitement, ready to divulge in all things Stefan Salvatore as she pulled him back for a smoldering kiss and soon, no more words needed to be spoken.

* * *

><p>Much later, Elena was curled into Stefan's chest, waiting for her breathing to get back to normal as she listened to Stefan's rapid heartbeat slow back down to a normal pace. Neither Elena nor Stefan could stop smiling, both equally exhausted and comfortable in each other's embrace.<p>

No words were needed to express how they both were feeling. They knew. They both felt it was only a matter of time before those three little words were spoken, but for now, it was time to rest.

As she drifted off to sleep, Elena only had one thought. Her entire weekend with Stefan was already completely, entirely and utterly amazing and it had only just begun.

* * *

><p>AN: Yay no cliffhanger this time! I hope you guys liked it! I do not personally write anything too sexual just because I'm too awkward and bad at it. Also, I hope no one is offended by any of the thoughts expressed about sex, I'm personally no prude but I just wanted to express how important sex is to Elena.<p>

But let me know your thoughts and if you would like to see something in particular then REVIEW :) And if you want to say anything else, (like that state of this tv show) feel free to PM me!


	9. Chapter Nine

The Best Laid Plans

Chapter Nine

AN: Hello! I am back :) I tried to get this up sooner but I ended up being really busy all of my winter break and with my classes and work! But thank you for all of the reviews last chapter! They really inspire me to continue writing. I have a plan for the rest of this story and we're basically half way through! I've actually added to my original plan as well. I'm hoping to get a new chapter up within the next month...I'm sorry I'm not better with updating but I do hope you stay with my story!

Enjoy! Review!

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><p><em>Buzz. <em>

The vibration of his phone against the bedside table awoke Stefan from his deep and peaceful slumber. After hours of getting to know every inch of Elena's body, he and his girlfriend were thoroughly exhausted, but he was not going to complain. To say he enjoyed Elena's surprise last night would be a serious understatement. Though even more important to Stefan was the fact it was his first time with Elena. While he felt a little feminine for thinking it, being so intimate with Elena was amazing. They weren't only compatible sexually but Stefan genuinely enjoyed just being with her. Before his thoughts went completely south, Stefan picked up his phone to see a warning from Damon not to drink his stash of scotch at the beach house. Rolling his eyes, Stefan closed his phone and nuzzled his head into Elena's neck, attempting to fall back asleep.

His attempts were short lived as Elena's eyes slowly fluttered open. Taking in her surroundings, she turned around to see Stefan obviously pretending to be asleep.

"I know you're awake. Faker," Elena teased.

Opening one eye, Stefan responded. "Well, I'm trying to sleep but someone is talking."

Elena laughed at Stefan's tone, before cuddling closer to Stefan. "Mhmm, what time is it?"

"It's only 9, go back to sleep," Stefan replied while playing with Elena's hair.

Elena, on the other hand, had something different in mind. "Mhmm, I think I have a better idea," Elena said as she slowly gave Stefan a proper good morning kiss.

As their kiss ended, Elena smirked at Stefan's closed eyes, enjoying how much she affected him.

Stefan leaned back in and responded, "I think I like your idea too." And with that, no more words were needed.

* * *

><p>After sleeping for a few more hours after their morning activities, Elena decided she wanted to spend some time in the pool, and in the connected hot tub. Stefan, obeying his girlfriend's desires, agreed and was lounging on floats in the pool. Since they had plans later that afternoon to go into town, Elena just wanted to just lay out and chill and not get her hair wet.<p>

Meanwhile Stefan had other plans. As Elena was relaxing on her float and soaking up the sun, he decided to be a little mischievous and Stefan lightly splashed Elena with water.

Feeling the cool chlorinated water hit her skin surprised Elena causing her shriek. While the water felt refreshing on her warm, sun-kissed skin, she did not appreciate the element of surprise. "Stefan..."

Stefan pretended he hadn't heard his girlfriend and instead, he reclined further into his lounger, closing his eyes to soak up the sun.

With her hair the least of her concerns now, Elena decided to get the ultimate revenge. Slowly she slid off of her float and dove under the water to beat Stefan at his own game. Elena swam under Stefan and with all of her strength, flipped his float over, sending her boyfriend flying into the water.

After sputtering to the surface, Stefan stared at Elena in utter shock. Elena couldn't help the giggle that escaped her. Stefan's expression of disbelief was priceless and sent his girlfriend into heaving laughter. Elena swam to the edge and pulled herself up to continue to laugh at Stefan's speechlessness.

Finally, after catching her breath, Elena spoke. "Aw poor baby, did you get a little wet?"

Stefan broke out of his surprised stupor and swam over to Elena, taking in how beautiful she looked in the sunlight with water droplets glistening off of her tanned skin. Even if he were annoyed with her, which he wasn't, his anger would have dissipated the moment Stefan saw Elena. After everything that happened with Katherine, he was grateful to whomever in the heavens above that sent Elena to him.

"Just a little. How about you come back in and join me?" Before Elena could think of responding, Stefan grabbed Elena's waist and tugged her back into the water.

Elena couldn't even complain about having her hair wet and being back in the chilly water. Being in Stefan's arms provided her with love, comfort and safety. _Wait did I just think love?_

Her thoughts were soon cut short as Stefan leaned in to kiss her. Like most of their kisses, it quickly turned heated as Stefan backed Elena up against the pool wall, leaving them both with the thought that getting wet was a marvelous idea.

* * *

><p>Stefan couldn't wipe the stupid grin off of his face as he waited for Elena to finish showering. After crossing pool, hot tub and shower sex off of his bucket list all in one afternoon, Stefan knew he was the happiest, and the luckiest, man alive.<p>

With the heartache and the theatrics he went through with Katherine, Stefan couldn't have thought how refreshing his relationship with Elena was. Even though they hadn't been together for very long, he felt like he had known Elena his entire life and could only hope that he would know her for the rest of his life. Stefan knew what his feelings for Elena were. Stefan only hoped Elena felt the same. Stefan didn't know how much longer he would be able to keep his feelings to himself. He just wanted to find the perfect time.

While Stefan thought about his feelings for his brown-eyed girlfriend, Elena was doing the same. As she shampooed her hair, Elena grinned at their afternoon _exercise_. Since they first made love last night, it was a miracle she had gotten him to leave her alone in the shower. Not that she was complaining. Elena couldn't remember the last time she felt this satisfied, not just with her sex life but also with her entire relationship with Stefan. The person she was back home in Chicago was barely a memory to her, and Elena liked her 'new' self a whole lot more.

Regardless of how much she'd changed for the better, Elena was 100% positive of her feelings for Stefan. She just needed to find the perfect moment to tell him.

* * *

><p>Once Stefan and Elena managed to keep their hands off of each other long enough to leave the house, the couple decided to walk into town for dinner and a movie on the beach.<p>

There were very few things Elena loved more than going on dates with Stefan. While they hadn't been on very many dates, Stefan showed his impeccable manners off when they went out together. Stefan was a true Southern gentleman, a statement proven again when Stefan pulled out Elena's chair.

"This is my favorite place down here, you're going to love it," Stefan said as he sat down. The duo were dining at a local restaurant that had been a staple of the town for many years as it was famous for its fresh seafood.

As Elena was about to respond, their teenaged waitress came bouncing up to the table, immediately setting her eyes on Stefan, a fact Elena immediately noticed.

"Well hi y'all! My name is Nikki. What can I get you to drink cutie?" Elena's eyes were shooting daggers at their scantily clad waitress. Though the other servers seemed modestly dressed in their company t-shirts and jeans, Nikki wore her shirt tied up and the shortest denim shorts Elena had seen in public.

While she was fuming, Elena refrained from commenting on Nikki's attire or her use of the word cutie...or she wasn't until Elena saw Nikki's hand that was resting on her Stefan's shoulder. Though she was furious, Elena put on a fake smile when ordering her lemonade.

Stefan would be lying if he didn't notice the waitress's hand on his shoulder or his girlfriend's glare towards her. As subtly as he could, Stefan tried shaking off Nikki's hand as he reached back down for his menu, pretending to ponder over the drink selection. Once Nikki's hand was off of his shoulder, Stefan practically sighed in relief. "I'll just take a coke, thanks."

"No problem darlin', I'll be back in a jiffy!"

Stefan reached over and grabbed Elena's hand, a comforting gesture that meant to calm Elena down. In reality, Elena only grew more fired up, furious of Nikki's actions. Stefan realized that his action did not work the way he hoped and decided to say something. "Babe, it's nothing. She's just being a little friendly that's all."

Elena scoffed, gripping Stefan's hand tighter. "A little friendly? She practically offered herself up as a drink for you."

Stefan brought Elena's hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. "It doesn't matter what she did. I'm here with you."

Though she was still annoyed at their waitress, Elena relaxed into Stefan's touch. He was right; Nikki was only their server and didn't really matter.

...or that's what Elena told herself before they had gotten their check. After a delicious meal with limited interruptions, Nikki dropped off their bill, causing an argument between Stefan and Elena.

"You always pay! I haven't paid for a single thing yet. Besides you brought me here, it's the least I could do."

"But you're my girlfriend, I want to treat you to dinner. I'm supposed to spoil you."

After about five minutes of back and forth arguing, Stefan finally relented to Elena's wishes. It wasn't that he was archaic and believed that the man should always pay; Stefan simply enjoyed doing romantic and kind things for Elena, which included paying for dinner.

Elena smiled as Stefan admitted defeat. Her smile quickly vanished as she opened the checkbook to see a special message from Nikki for Stefan.

Stefan noticed Elena's face fall into a frown, which quickly turned into anger. "What? What is it?"

For the second time that night, Elena's anger was directed toward their waitress. There may have been a green monster on her shoulder but Elena knew she was justified in her emotions.

"Call me. I'm better in bed than your GF. xoxo Nikki."

Stefan let out a laugh, which he promptly masked with a cough when he met Elena's burning glare. "Baby, she's just being forward. It's not a big deal."

Once the words left his mouth, Stefan immediately regretted them. It definitely _was _a big deal as Nikki blatantly hit on Stefan all night in front of Elena's face.

"Not a big deal? Stefan, are you kidding? She's been flirting with you all night and then she gives your her number!? This is a joke. I think Nikki and I need to have a little chat." With that, Elena stood up and walked around the large restaurant, trying to spot their over-affectionate waitress. _You won't know what's coming to you...bitch._

Elena soon spotted Nikki behind the bar, seemingly flirting with another patron. As Elena walked closer, Nikki met her furious gaze and attempted to go back into the kitchen. Before the blonde waitress could reach her safe haven, Elena cornered her.

As if on cue, Nikki started apologizing. "I'm so sorry, I thought he was single. I mean he was flirting with me all night."

Elena scoffed at her obvious exaggeration and her insincere apology. "Listen, _sweetie_, my BOYFRIEND is completely satisfied with me and at no point did he even bat an eye in your direction. He doesn't like trashy girls that throw it in his face. Trust me."

Extremely pleased with her speech and Nikki's blank expression, Elena started walking away. But she did manage to get one last word in. "Oh and Nikki, try not to hit on anymore of your customers...you never know when you're gonna run into a girlfriend or a wife a lot less forgiving than me."

* * *

><p>After Elena told off the waitress from hell, she and Stefan made their way to a public beach to watch a movie under the stars. To be honest, Elena really didn't care to know what movie was playing. She just loved the excuse to be able to cuddle up with Stefan and a blanket on the beach. Not that she couldn't get him to do so otherwise.<p>

Meanwhile, Stefan was extremely excited for the movie as he wanted to watch _Star Wars _but more importantly he wanted to introduce Elena to his favorite films (the original trilogy of course). When he learned that Elena had never seen the classic films, Stefan thought he was going to die of a heart attack. How his girlfriend had never seen _Star Wars _was a travesty! It was only a sheer miracle that the town happened to feature _Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope_ as their weekly on the beach movie.

Elena thought that Stefan's enthusiasm and excitement for the movie was adorable. It was cute watching a grown man "fangirling" over movies made decades ago. As the movie started, Elena leaned further into Stefan's chest, determined to enjoy a romantic night watching a movie under the stars with her boyfriend.

About 40 minutes into the movie and Elena couldn't take her eyes off the screen. While it was strange to watch a movie that was in the middle of the action of a long saga, she could definitely tell why Stefan enjoyed the movie so much. Though Stefan enjoyed re-watching one of his favorite films, he loved watching Elena's expressions throughout the movie. She looked so adorable when her excitement matched his and Stefan couldn't help but think how it was time. It was time to tell her how much he loved her.

* * *

><p>AN: I know this chapter isn't as long as the last but I thought some fluffy SE was desperately needed! The next chapter should be both romantic and shocking...stay tuned!<p>

REVIEW :)


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